Will of Fire
by Cynchick
Summary: Forced to flee their village and the new regime, the loyal shinobi of Konoha must find a way to preserve their way of life and take back their home. As they fight for their future, Team Seven struggles to overcome the past. KakaSaku
1. Don't Fear the Reaper

This is a semi-AU story, meaning certain events in the manga will occur differently, or not at all. Who knows, you may like my version better. XD

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter One: Don't Fear the Reaper

##

* * *

_I'm going to die here._

The thought passed through her mind with far less fear than it should have. She should have been terrified. How could she be destined to end here, with so much she still wanted to do, so much of her life unlived? She hadn't even made jounin yet. But in the wake of such realization, fear was not the emotion that consumed her.

Haruno Sakura was furious.

The fact that she was about to be killed within the walls of her own beloved village by shinobi who wore the same Hidden Leaf insignia sparked within her an explosive torrent of white-hot rage.

She drove her fist into the sternum of her nearest attacker, collapsing his chest cavity and crushing his heart. As he fell, eight more masked nins closed in around her. There had been twelve, nearly an entire platoon. Perhaps it should have been flattering that she was considered such a threat. It wasn't.

A wave of senbon cascaded toward her from the left. Sakura leapt upward only to have a second wave come from a different direction. Knowing how deadly even a flick of her finger could be, they were trying to take her out from afar. In close combat she was indisputably lethal, but at a distance she was just another chuunin with slightly above average reflexes and no long-range jutsu. She pivoted in midair and pushed off against a tree, somersaulting once and flying straight down at one of her masked opponents. She crashed into him with the chakra-boosted force of a boulder and they fell together. He was dead when they hit the ground. Panting with adrenaline and the beginnings of fatigue, Sakura rolled to her feet and backed up against a tree.

The cold autumn moon bleached all color from the nocturnal landscape, reduced everything to stark abstractions of black and white. It was foolish to look away from her enemy, but for a second her eyes were involuntarily pulled to the still figure crumpled at the base of an ancient pine. She stared at the long pale hair splayed across the dirt and fallen leaves, at the even paler skin stained with dark wetness. Sakura couldn't see her face. She didn't want to see her face. If she couldn't see then she didn't have to believe her eyes.

Ino had been the one to warn her. Her father had run home to alert his family, and Ino then ran to Sakura, broke through her bedroom window, shoved her into her clothes and dragged her outside only moments before Root agents broke down her front door. They fought together while trying to escape. Fight and run. Fight and run. There was fighting everywhere; fires and wreckage and bodies on every street. Konoha was a half-destroyed war zone; what had been rebuilt after the Akatsuki attack only a month ago was in ruins again from a civil battle. They made it all the way to the wooded training grounds before they were surrounded. By then Sakura was bleeding badly from a gash on her arm, unsure how or when it happened. She didn't see how Ino went down.

Ino had tried to save her, had separated from her own family to help her best friend get away. Now Ino was slowly bleeding out onto the cold, damp earth, and Sakura couldn't help her.

There was only one other time in her life when Sakura had truly fought to kill: against Sasori of the Red Sand. At that time she hadn't been alone; she'd fought alongside a seasoned war veteran, and without that help she wouldn't have lasted long. She hadn't been ready for a life or death battle then. But now Sakura found it easier than she'd thought to unleash her full strength upon her enemies, to not pull her punches. To not show mercy. There was no hesitation, because if she did they were going to kill her.

They were going to kill her anyway. She escaped murder in her sleep only to be murdered out here in the middle of nowhere, her lifeblood saturating the cold, uncaring earth. Just like Ino.

"_Traitors!_" Her voice rang like metal, unfamiliar to her own ears. "How could you do this!"

There was only silence. Words and emotion were wasted on the Root agents. They were nothing but drones, trained to be mindless weapons that followed the orders of only one man.

Sakura knew she was trapped. She couldn't run anymore, and she couldn't overcome them all. She didn't know where her teammates were, where her master was, or how any of this was happening. No one knew where _she_ was, and no help would be coming.

Right now she was sure of only one thing. If she was going to die, she was going to take as many of these treacherous bastards with her as she could.

Sakura gripped a kunai in each hand and, flooding chakra through her limbs, met her next attacker head on.

* * *

Hinata woke with a start. Someone had just walked across the pebbled garden right outside her window. When she was four, enemy nins had infiltrated the Hyuuga compound in the dead of night to kill her, the clan heiress. She'd been terrified, and the assassins' revealed faces when they were caught had given her nightmares for weeks. Ever since then she was the lightest sleeper in the world.

She looked at the clock on her nightstand and frowned; the blue numbers glowed 1:47am. The noise continued all around her as she lay there, bleary-eyed and annoyed. Hushed, urgent voices and hurried footsteps, some close by in the house, some further away across the grounds. It wasn't normal for the compound to be awake and moving in the middle of the night. Something was wrong.

Irritation turning to worry, Hinata rolled out of bed, pulled on her clothes and grabbed her kunai pouch, and padded out of her room. The long hallway was dark and empty, but there was faint light coming from the main areas of the house. She began to move toward the voices and illumination when the sound of a sliding door behind her made her whirl around in surprise. Her younger sister Hanabi emerged warily from her room, much the same as Hinata had.

Hinata relaxed a little. The sisters looked at one another, saw in their matching opal eyes that neither knew what was going on, and didn't speak. They walked silently together down the hall and came to the foyer, where the main doors stood wide open and at least two dozen Hyuugas clustered together at the base of the porch steps. The light emanated from a portable lantern held by one of the branch house servants. They saw their father in the center of the throng, surrounded by several of the clan elders. Neji stood beside him as always, looking displeased, as always. The branch house members stood just outside the lantern's ring of illumination, nervous and murmuring to each other. They clearly had no idea either, unlike the elders and several main house members who looked around with a smug, conspiratorial tension.

Something wasn't right. The air around them felt off, and Hinata's instincts were warning her of something she couldn't place. She felt as if she were in danger, surrounded by her own family, in the middle of Konoha. Most of her clansmen looked as though they felt the same. Some had their Byakugan activated. The elders were the only ones not alarmed, and that alone made her nervous.

"Everyone return to your homes," Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan leader, was dictating. "There is nothing to be concerned about."

Hinata was too nervous to talk to her father in front of so many people, but thirteen year-old Hanabi strode purposely forward and down the steps, waist-length hair swishing behind her as she forced the crowd to make way. "Father, what's going on?" she demanded, entitled in a way Hinata never dared to be.

"Everything is fine, Hanabi. Go back to bed." He turned back to his anxious clansmen. He never looked at Hinata, who had followed cautiously behind.

There was a distant rumble, a flash in the sky, and a tremor beneath their feet. Suddenly everyone had their bloodline limit active and was looking toward the village in shock.

"Was that an _explosion_?"

"They're fighting over there! Konoha is under attack!"

"Who's attacking us? I don't see any enemies…"

"Wait…_ANBU_? The main forces are fighting ANBU!"

"What the hell is happening!? Hiashi-sama, what's going on?"

"Remain calm," Hiashi ordered loudly, raising his hand in a way that was more commanding than placating. "The Hyuuga clan is in no danger. Everyone will return to their homes as instructed."

"But they need our help!" one of the branch kin shouted.

"If you do not comply," said one of the elders, "there will be severe consequences." He looked directly at the man who had spoken.

A hush fell over the gathered Hyuugas. The thrall curse upon the branch house was a threat that hadn't been enforced in over a decade. To hear it mentioned so casually was appalling. Outrageous or not, it was a threat that was taken seriously. The crowd began to disperse slowly, starting with the branch members, some of them casting baleful glares at their leader before turning away.

"Father." Hinata implored, stepping forward now that there weren't so many judging eyes on her. The clan leader ignored her. "Father, please tell us what's happening," she said again, louder.

With an expression of profound indifference, Hiashi finally looked at his eldest. "It will be over soon. Go back to your room."

"_What_ will be over soon?" Her heart began to race.

"What do you mean '_go back to your room_'!?" Hanabi exclaimed. She gestured toward the heart of the village where the sky glowed a dull, ominous orange. "Konoha is under attack! We have to help!"

"You will _not_!"

Hanabi's eyes widened; their father never raised his voice to her. His words were equally unbelievable.

He continued more calmly, "The Hyuuga are not to interfere."

Hinata stared at her cold-faced father and felt her stomach bottom out. _What have you done?_ She looked around helplessly, saw other clansmen in the shadows doing the same, peering from their doorways toward the growing sounds of battle just outside their compound with mixed expressions of fear, confusion, and impotent anger. Her eyes finally settled on her cousin. Neji glanced at her, met her gaze for only a moment, then looked down and away. His jaw clenched. He didn't like what was happening, but he was going along. He always did.

Hanabi would not. She glared at their father for a moment, then spun on her heel and went toward the gates. Her father's men caught her in seconds. Surprised and outraged, she forgot to struggle in the first moment, and they had her. Worried for her sister, Hinata took a single step forward, and then they were on her too. They were marched back to their father's side, Hanabi struggling loudly, Hinata too astonished to resist. Was this really happening?

Hiashi glared at his daughters, for once looking upon them with equal disapproval, and angrily ordered them to sit down and keep quiet. Their detainers practically shoved them down on the porch steps.

"Why won't you let us go?" Hanabi demanded.

"The clan has an agreement with the Hokage," he said firmly. "We will not interfere, and in return, we will remain unaffected by the changes taking place tonight."

"What are you _talking_ about!?"

Hinata looked up at her father with horrified comprehension. "The Hokage…."

He answered them both with the same reply. "At this moment, the Leaf is being purged of the weakness which has poisoned it for so many years. Shimura Danzou will remain Hokage."

Hanabi gasped. There was no breath in Hinata's lungs to do the same. "Tsunade-sama…?" she choked out.

"Dead." His pale eyes were hard and cold as marble.

Konoha was under attack from the inside. An overthrow. The Hokage had been assassinated. And the Hyuuga clan was involved in it all.

Bewildered and afraid, Hinata and Hanabi stared at each other mutely, sitting side by side on the steps of their father's mansion. Neji would not look at them. They hadn't been close in many years—Hyuuga Hiashi blatantly favored his youngest daughter, considering the timid Hinata such a disappointment that he had all but disowned her. Though it was just as obvious that Hiashi favored Neji over both of them. Hanabi was almost never allowed to play with her older sister as a young girl, and they hardly saw each other or spent time in the same room. They hadn't spoken in months. Not even tonight.

None of that seemed to matter now. They were the only ones on each other's side, the only ones with a sense of honor. Under the forbidding eyes of their father's guards, they clasped hands, holding on so tightly their fingers turned white.

* * *

The Rasengan sent his assailant crashing through the wall of the nearest building, bringing the burning roof down on top of him and raining a shower of sparks and embers down over Naruto's head. He hated destroying some poor civilian's property, but there was little choice. Naruto barely had time to blink before another attacker came from behind. Make that three more.

His clone took care of one, while he drove a kunai into another. He whirled to confront the last, but found him dead on the ground, his neck strangled and snapped by Sai's ink-snakes. His teammate dropped from the roof across the street, where two more bodies lay, and came to his side. Their eyes met grimly.

Sai's former Root squadron leader had appeared in his loft apartment twenty minutes ago to inform him that Operation Six was in effect. The name was meaningless, intentionally inconspicuous, but for as long as he could remember Sai had known what was expected of him as a member of Root when that time came. He also knew that his captain only _appeared_ to be alone, and if he showed what he was really thinking he would never make it out of his room. So he impassively acknowledged the order, dressed in his ANBU uniform, and went out into the silent, sleeping streets which would soon be filled with the chaos of insurgency. Once he was sure he wasn't being followed, he headed straight for Naruto's apartment.

Danzou had wasted no time targeting his biggest threats; Naruto was already under attack. They fought together and overcame the assailants without much difficulty, but both knew the assassins they just eliminated were only the first wave.

"We can't stay here," Sai said.

Naruto nodded. "Let's go."

They made it three blocks before they were attacked again, but the small group of three Root agents had stumbled upon them by chance and were unprepared. They were easily dispatched, and then Naruto and Sai were running again.

Sai soon realized where they were heading, though he should have known already. He reluctantly stopped, and when his teammate stopped as well he said, "Naruto…if they came for you, then Tsunade is most likely already dead."

The expression on Naruto's face was dreadful, a mixture of rage and grief and denial all at once. Without a word he turned and ran again. He wouldn't believe it until he saw with his own eyes.

The Hokage tower was as old as Konoha itself, built by the first Hokage when the village was founded nearly a hundred years ago. An impressive four stories and bright red, it was a symbol of Konoha's strength and stability. Now it was a half-collapsed, smoking ruin. And it was deserted; no Root agents could be seen in the vicinity, which meant only one thing. There was nothing left here.

"I can't feel her," Naruto rasped, using his Sage attunement to sense for any signs of life. There was nothing. "Baa-chan…."

Sai gazed sadly at his friend. He'd made his choice months ago and turned away from the shadowy ANBU subdivision that had raised him to be an emotionless soldier, choosing friendship over unquestioning duty. He had no idea what would happen tonight, and he was doing everything he could to protect what had come to matter to him and fight against the traitors. Still, he felt ashamed for ever having been a part of Root.

Trembling with suppressed emotion, tears burning his eyes, Naruto finally forced himself to turn away from the wreckage. The Kyuubi raged inside him, inciting him, encouraging his bloodlust. The Sage chakra slipped from his control as the demon fox grew stronger. His eyes bled from yellow to a hateful orange. "Where would Danzou be?" he growled.

Reluctantly Sai answered, "With the tower like this, probably at ANBU HQ. But—"

Naruto ran.

Sai took off after him, but with the nine-tail's chakra gaining strength it was difficult to keep up. "Naruto, wait! He'll be too well protected! You'll never get to him right now!"

"I don't care!" Naruto shouted without slowing or looking back. "I'll kill him for this even if it kills me too!"

He vaulted clear over the roof of the next building in one leap. Sai made it in three, and that was pushing himself. "_Think_, Naruto! If Tsunade is dead and you die too, where does that leave the rest of us?"

As if all energy had suddenly drained out of him, Naruto slowed to a stop and turned around. They were on a residential street, one of the few that were still dark and quiet. If there were any people inside the buildings they were afraid to come out. Arms limp at his sides, he looked around helplessly.

"What am I supposed to do?" he said, lost and stricken. If he couldn't fight Danzou, what else was there? How could he protect Konoha if he couldn't make the one responsible for this devastation pay?

Sai walked up to him. "We need you to live," he said, "and to lead us." He grasped his friend's shoulder. "Listen; it's getting quieter. The battle is ending. A lot of people have died, and a lot more have probably surrendered. But some will have gotten out. You need to get out too while you still have a chance."

"What? I'm not running away!"

"You can think of it as running, or you can think of it as surviving against hopeless odds to return and fight another day. The people who escape are going to need someone to lead them," Sai said pointedly.

Naruto thought about that for a moment, and realized Sai was right. There was more to leadership than defending people from harm. He knew that. The thought of stepping into such heavy responsibility when he wasn't fully prepared was terrifying, but he had never backed down from a challenge. He thrived on them. He latched on to the new purpose with renewed fervor. "We need to find them and gather them together. We can regroup and form a resistance!"

Sai nodded. "Let's find Sakura and anyone else we can and get out of here."

Naruto gave Sai a strange look. "When the hell did you get all wise?"

He smiled faintly. "I read a lot."

They moved quickly and quietly through the streets, always vigilant for any sign of Root or a skirmish. The streets had gone ominously quiet and the only sounds of battle now came from the very center of the village. There were bodies nearly everywhere they looked, Root and regular troops alike. All Konoha shinobi. The Root division was vastly outnumbered, but they'd had the element of surprise. No one would expect an attack by one of their own. In the first minutes of the takeover they would have been able to walk right up to a fellow nin and simply kill them where they stood.

Naruto felt sickened. It was all he could do to keep the Kyuubi under control.

They had only gone a few blocks before they encountered more people, but this time it wasn't an attack. Two chuunin they didn't know were helping each other limp across the street to the provisional shelter of a store awning. They stopped and tensed for a fight, but when they recognized who approached they sagged with visible relief.

"Naruto!" the one doing most of the supporting called. His comrade was injured, and it seemed to take all of his focus just to stay conscious and walk.

They met up under the awning. "Are you guys all right?" Naruto asked them.

"More or less. We were on guard duty in the central tower when one of the ANBU came in and attacked us! He stabbed Shunsuke. We managed to take him down, but just barely because he was, you know, _ANBU_." He looked around in disbelief. "We thought he'd gone crazy or something, but when we came out to make a report we saw people fighting ANBU all over the place! What the hell is going on?"

"What's your name?"

"Raki."

"Listen Raki," Naruto said, "Root has initiated an overthrow."

"What's _Root_?"

Naruto stared at him. It hadn't occurred to him before that most people had never heard of Root. Even standard ANBU operated almost entirely in concealment, and Root was an ultra-classified sector of that black-ops division. It was the secret hidden behind the mystery. He only knew about it himself because he was close to the Hokage and Sai had come from there.

"No time to explain now, but Konoha has fallen into the hands of traitors."

Raki paled, his eyes going wide. "What about the Hokage?"

Naruto's jaw clenched tightly and he stared down the street, unable to answer. His silence told the two bewildered chuunin everything.

"Gods…is this really happening?" Raki murmured.

"We need to get out of here," Sai reminded everyone. There were sounds of combat on the street up ahead.

"Where?"

"Somewhere safe where we can regroup and make a plan," Naruto said, taking charge again. He nodded in the direction of the noise. "Someone over there might need our help. Let's go."

The two injured chuunin struggled to keep up, but they did, because they had to. The group rounded the corner just in time to see three Root agents in the middle of the street, struggling against invisible foes. They fell to the ground and didn't move again. Something moved in the shadows near the wall of a building, but as they got a little closer they realized it was the shadows themselves that moved.

"Shikamaru…?" Naruto called cautiously.

It _was_ Shikamaru, he saw a moment later, leaning tiredly against the wall in an alcove of a shop entrance. The shadow master stared at him blankly for a moment, as if he didn't recognize him. He blinked, and finally said, "I was sure they would've killed you."

"They tried." He looked around warily. "They're still trying. We need to keep moving."

Shikamaru nodded slowly, but didn't move. "Chouji's…" His eyes lost focus again. "And I can't find Ino…."

His face was ashen, streaked with grime and tear tracks. He was in shock. Naruto gripped his shoulder tightly. "I'm sorry. We'll find Ino, but we need to hurry." He was suddenly gripped with fear for his own missing teammate.

"Where's Sakura?" Shikamaru asked belatedly, as if reading his mind. "Chouji said…" he choked a little on his best friend's name. "He said Ino went to find her."

"Then they're probably together. Come on."

Before they made it to the end of the street they were set upon by a full squadron. Their ragtag group was injured and low on chakra, but Naruto's clones turned the odds back in their favor. The fight was brief but fierce; Sai took a long kunai slash to his flank, and one Root managed to shoot a flare into the sky before falling, lighting the sky overhead as bright as day and revealing their position to every enemy in the village.

Naruto cursed. In a few moments they would be overrun.

The impending peril seemed to suddenly snap Shikamaru back to himself. "We can't waste any more time. They're going to have every way out of the village closed off in minutes."

"We have to find Sakura! I'm not leaving without her!" Naruto stilled himself and tried to reach out with his Sage ability to find her. It failed when Shikamaru grabbed him roughly.

"Don't you have to stand still to do that? We can't hang around here or we're dead! And _you_ have to stay alive, Naruto, we need to get you out _now_!"

Naruto jerked away. "How can you tell me to abandon my teammate!? Don't you want to find Ino?"

Shikamaru just stared at him, and Naruto immediately regretted his words. Shikamaru was experiencing the same turmoil, worse because he'd already lost one teammate tonight. He didn't want to leave either. Nobody _wanted_ to face the dilemma they now faced: flee from their own village or be killed. Nobody wanted to leave anyone behind. But Naruto realized the truth: he couldn't stay in one place long enough to locate Sakura with Sage mode, and searching the entire village for her when a small army was trying to kill him was even more impossible. He would never find her. She was smart and powerful; she would get out. She may even have escaped already.

He hated it, hated himself for doing it, but he had no choice. Would she think he abandoned her? She had to know better, even if they weren't on great terms at the moment and the last time they saw each other was…uncomfortable. It didn't matter. He would find her again.

Grim and rueful, he forced himself to nod. "Let's go."

They only made it around the corner before they were attacked by the Root closest when the flare went off. It was a dozen against five; their chances weren't good in the shape they were in. Only Naruto, with his massive reserves of chakra and unnatural stamina, was still at full capacity. They formed a tight cluster with their backs to each other and prepared to fight for their lives.

Thin black lines whipped out of the darkness and latched onto five of the Root agents. The masked men clutched at their necks and ribcages, emitting startled choking sounds and agonized groans as bones snapped and airways constricted. The cornered group wasted no time taking advantage of the opening and attacked the rest.

It was over more quickly and easily than they could have hoped for, and the reason for that revealed itself from the shadows: Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi. The two jounin met up with them in the intersection.

"Shikamaru!" Shikaku exclaimed, grabbing hold of his son in a rough hug.

Shikamaru seemed to lose some of his composure upon uniting with his father. "Dad, Chouji is…"

Shikaku held him tighter. "I'm sorry, son. Chouza too…"

Inoichi was equally grief-stricken, and nearly overcome by worry. "Has anyone seen Ino? She's not answering my mental call…"

"We wanted to look for her and Sakura, but we can't even make it two blocks without being attacked," said Shikamaru.

Shikaku nodded. "They're closing off every way out of the village. You need to run before it's too late. We'll help you get out."

"What about—"

"We'll find Ino and Sakura and get them out too."

"What about _you_?"

Shikaku and Inoichi exchanged glances which were unreadable to everyone, but contained an entire conversation between lifelong friends. "Someone's gotta stay behind and raise hell under the new regime," Shikaku said. He smirked, but his eyes were hard and serious.

"Let's move," Naruto said curtly, glancing around for threats. They were lucky to have any reprieve. It wouldn't last long.

They ran full tilt toward the edge of the village, the two jounin leading their battered and exhausted juniors. The outer wall loomed up ahead, and to their amazement it was clear. It surely wouldn't stay that way, and they wasted no time hauling themselves up. The injured chuunin were the slowest, and went over first while the others stood guard. Sai went next and hit the ground hard, clutching his wounded side.

Shikamaru hesitated, looking to his father in barely concealed anguish. "Dad—"

Shikaku shook his head. "No time to argue, son. Your mom and I will be okay." He gripped him hard by the shoulder, his voice lowering with emotion. "You _stay alive_, understand? We'll see each other again. Now go!" He shoved him purposefully, forcing him over the wall.

Naruto gave the jounin a somber nod of thanks. "Good luck."

"I expect you to be Hokage someday," Shikaku returned.

A fierce grin spread across his face. "Count on it." He cast a long look out over Konoha, and nodded to himself in silent promise. Then he went over the wall.

* * *

Sakura stumbled, nearly falling to her knees. She was out of breath, out of chakra, and losing a lot of blood from the wound on her arm. She had only managed to take out two more and break the arm of another, and those had been lucky strikes. There was almost no chance of taking the remaining four.

They were strictly keeping away from her now, letting her exhaust herself like hunters bringing a beast to bay. How ruthless and cruel, to drag it out like this. But Sakura refused to be tortured to death. She would force them to end it, and hopefully kill most of them in the process.

With a final burst of strength she slammed her heel into the ground. The small quake that followed ruptured the earth beneath them, throwing her enemies off balance for a moment. Sakura seized the opening and rushed the nearest one, landing a solid kick to his torso. He flew backward through the air and smashed into a tree, cracking the trunk on impact and bringing a flurry of crisp, dead leaves cascading downward.

There was a sharp, prickling pain in her leg, and she looked down to find three needles protruding from her outer thigh. The senbon they had been throwing since the first attack had finally hit now that she was too slow to avoid them. Sakura stumbled again and fell, her head beginning to swim. In the back of her mind was the vague realization that she had just been poisoned, but she jerked the needles free, pushed herself to her feet by sheer force of will and feebly attempted to continue her assault. It was no use; her strength was gone.

Sakura sank to her hands and knees, and eventually collapsed entirely. Her breaths came ragged, her heart hammered in her ears. Maybe it was the numbing, disorienting effects of the poison, but she still wasn't afraid. She thought fleetingly of her teammates and hoped they had escaped.

The three remaining Root agents closed around their fallen target. Their white animal masks were the last thing Sakura saw before everything went black.

"That was unnecessarily difficult," a muted voice remarked.

"We had our orders," another replied, leaning down to hoist the kunoichi over his shoulder. "Danzou wants her alive."

* * *

TBC


	2. Fight and Flight

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Two: Fight and Flight

##

* * *

Tiny pinpricks of light invaded the blackness, slowly increasing in brightness until everything was a hazy, blinding white. There was sound: a faint, pulsing hum, too vague and distant to be identified. Was she dead? Sakura had heard of the white light from patients who'd had near-death experiences.

But she couldn't really be dead. If she were dead she wouldn't be in so much pain.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the sting of the light and the ache within her own body. Her arm was on fire. Everything hurt. She tried to relax, forced herself to take deep, even breaths. As her mind crawled out of the hole of unconsciousness she became aware of a few things. She was no longer outside; it was too quiet and still, the air too warm for an autumn night, and that humming sound was almost certainly electrical in nature. Once her senses adjusted more fully, she cautiously opened her eyes.

Sakura was alone in an interrogation room, strapped by the wrists and ankles to a metal chair. She knew where she was because she'd been in here before to medically assist some of the more invasive interrogation sessions. The blinding light came from a bare florescent bulb right above her face, the heat of which was growing more uncomfortable by the minute. The hum of machinery was from an electroshock machine on the other side of the room that was hardly ever used anymore with more effective methods available, but kept on hand as a backup. Sakura had seen what went on in here, and so she had some idea of what would happen to her when the people who put her in here returned.

But there was one thing she didn't understand.

Why wasn't she dead?

What she thought was poison on those senbon must have been a tranquilizer. She was still sedated now, groggy and unfocused, her chakra flowing so sluggishly through her pathways it was almost immobile. She knew without trying that she wouldn't be able to use it, which was precisely the purpose. The compound was one used frequently in interrogations; it dulled her senses and reactions yet still allowed her to feel every sensation of pain.

Thinking back to the fight and the pursuit leading up to it, she realized her enemies had weapons drawn but only used them to defend themselves. They had intended to capture her from the start, but Sakura had been frantic and desperate, fighting on pure survival instinct, and hadn't paid close enough attention. She had lost her head, a terrible and usually fatal mistake.

But that didn't explain what happened to Ino. Was she still out there in the woods, alone, bleeding and in need of help? No, Sakura accepted painfully. She had seen her friend clearly enough to know there was no helping her.

She examined herself as best she could. Someone had bandaged her wound, but hadn't bothered to clean the blood and grime off her arm. Two of the knuckles on her right hand were swollen and discolored; probably broken. As her chakra began to wane during the battle, the thin barrier protecting her against things like smashing through dense boulders had worn down, exposing her to the impact. They hurt like hell, but broken bones were the least of her problems.

Before, with adrenaline surging through her veins and death only seconds away, there hadn't been time to think, to dwell on confusion or fear. Everything had condensed into the instinctive, diamond-hard need to survive. But now, in the silence of the empty room, the reality of what happened tonight finally caught up with her.

Konoha had fallen.

The viper in the grass had finally revealed his fangs, and tonight many Leaf ninja were killed by their own brothers in arms. Sakura had no idea where her comrades, friends, teammates were. No idea who was alive or dead. No idea if the fight was still going, or if Danzou's takeover was complete. The Hokage was probably imprisoned like Sakura, or possibly dead. Ino, her childhood best friend, sometimes rival, and closest female companion…definitely was.

Sakura's hands shook, her breath coming shallow and rapid as a torrent of grief and fear and impotent rage threatened to overwhelm her. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit the inside of her lip until it bled to keep the tears at bay. If they saw her crying they would only think it was fear.

She _was_ afraid. Terrified here in interrogation purgatory, waiting helplessly to learn what would happen next.

For good or bad, the wait wasn't long.

The heavy metal door opened—the only way in or out of the room. Danzou sauntered in wearing full Hokage regalia, looking so smug and self-congratulatory that if she could have moved, Sakura would have torn him apart with her bare hands, chakra or no. She opened her mouth to unleash her wrath verbally, but the words died in her throat when four Root agents followed their commander into the room dragging a nearly unconscious Shizune between them. Sakura watched in mute horror as they strapped Shizune to another chair, one of the masked men grabbing the top of her hair and jerking her head back to expose her to the blinding light. Sakura gasped at her badly beaten face.

"Bastard!" she raged, lunging futilely toward Danzou. "How could you do this to Konoha!"

Unlike before when she'd asked the same question of the Root assigned to capture her, Danzou answered. "Konoha has needed this for many years, since long before you were born," he said levelly. "Your softhearted generation does not remember the glory we have lost."

There was nothing overtly sinister about Shimura Danzou. He had always come across to Sakura as arrogant, intimidating, suspicious and undermining, but Sakura had come face to face with Uchiha Madara, and knew what evil felt like. Danzou was not. He was a soldier, a military commander in the purest sense; it was the foundation of his self and dictated every thought and action, defined everything he stood for. He truly believed he had Konoha's best interest at heart and that he was saving their nation. But he was wrong. Unbelievably wrong, and what he had done was unforgivable.

"_Glory_? Where is the glory in warmongering?!"

Danzou smiled without humor. "You understand so little, but I suppose you can't be blamed for that. You are a product of your upbringing."

"And you of yours," she growled. "The world doesn't work this way anymore!"

"The world has _always_ worked this way," he said, growing sterner. "It is the _only_ way the shinobi world understands. That is what Sarutobi and his ilk always refused to see. The problem," he took a step closer, "is being rectified as we speak."

Sakura didn't ask what had happened to Tsunade, or to Naruto. She didn't think she would be able to handle it if he confirmed her worst fears. "What do you want with us?" she growled instead, focusing on anger, letting it feed her and give her strength to get through this nightmare.

"As medics you are some of Konoha's most important assets," he explained. "I couldn't simply let you run off."

"Really? Your men killed Ino!" She strained against her bonds, felt the leather cut into her wrists. Next to her, Shizune came to her senses and began to stir.

For a brief moment Danzou's displeasure showed, revealing that his orders had not been followed properly. But his aged face quickly recomposed. "An unfortunate accident," he said. "But truthfully her skill was mediocre at best. The two of you, however, will be invaluable in Konoha's future endeavors."

Sakura was shocked into silence by his callous disregard for the life of her friend, and by the allusion that he intended to start a war campaign.

Shizune had recovered enough to strain against her own bonds. "You have to know we will never follow you," she said. "We'll kill you the first chance we get!"

Danzou turned to her. "It is unfortunate that you feel that way. Cooperation is in your best interest."

"Fuck you! We're not traitors!" Sakura shot back.

He cocked his head, a sardonic smile deepening the lines around his mouth. "Technically you are. My position as Hokage is sanctioned by the Fire Daimyo."

A long moment of stunned silence passed, before Shizune said, "How the hell did you pull that off?"

"We share a mutual interest."

"In other words, a bribe," she spat.

Sakura railed against her restraints again. "Kill us now you fucking bastard, we'll never go along with you!"

That aging smirk widened and Danzou turned to leave, his agents following. "Yes," he drawled, not looking at them as he walked away. "You will."

The door closed, the bolt slid into place, and then they were alone.

* * *

Hinata was sick; with shock, with fear, with anger. With every moment that passed, with every flash of fire in the sky over Konoha, with every rumble of destruction and ringing clash of metal on metal singing painfully through the cold night air to her ears, the twisting, self-loathing turmoil within her grew.

Her father and Neji and the elders stood silent and grim, their faces varying degrees of smug and somber. Her sister held her hand so tightly it cramped, her young face blanched and fearful. Hinata imagined she looked the same.

She thought frantically of her teammates, of Kurenai-sensei and her infant daughter. She thought of Naruto. Were they fighting out there? Of course they were. They would fight for their village until their last breath. While she sat here and did nothing. While her treacherous, self-serving father held her hostage. Hinata felt for a moment she might vomit. Her head swam, the twisting coil within her tightened, and in the next moment something within her snapped. She jumped to her feet.

"No!" she shouted at no one in particular. "I can't be a part of this!"

She slipped like quicksilver around the startled guard, jabbing him twice in the torso and disabling two of his key chakra pathways. Hanabi was right behind her and took out the second watchdog, and they sprinted for the compound gate.

They were intercepted, but this time the sisters were prepared and fought them off, knocking two unconscious and impairing the movements of the rest before running again. Hinata made a split-second decision to change direction and go over the nearest wall. Hanabi pivoted and followed without question. They knew they wouldn't get out that easily, but they were prepared to fight as many as they had to in order to escape.

Then Neji and Hiashi were in front of them. The sisters halted warily. Neji flickered again, and suddenly had Hanabi in a painfully restrictive hold she couldn't get out of without breaking her own arms.

Hanabi kicked at his knee, but struggling increased her pain. "Let me go you boot-licking dog!" Neji tightened his hold.

Hinata didn't think she had ever been so angry in her life. Her own father stood in her way, his chakra flaring threateningly. She would have to fight him to move forward, and she knew it was a fight she couldn't win. Hinata relaxed her stance, but her defiance remained. She couldn't defeat him in combat, but she was not afraid of him. Not anymore. She had faced far more terrifying things in her life than Hyuuga Hiashi, including the leader of Akatsuki. Revealed for what he really was, her father now seemed small and despicable and utterly unworthy of either respect or fear.

"Father," she said, surprised by the sternness of her voice. "Let us go. At least let me tend to the wounded."

"I will not allow it," Hiashi returned angrily. "You have disgraced me far too often, Hinata. I will _not_ let you destroy the future of this clan."

Her fists clenched. "How can you sacrifice so many lives just to save your own?"

Hiashi narrowed his eyes with utmost disdain. "This is not about me. Your inability to understand such things is why you will never lead the Hyuuga."

Without turning his glare from her, he spoke to Neji. "Make sure they will not cause any more trouble tonight. I have no time to deal with their foolish insolence. I meet with Danzou shortly." He turned and strode quickly toward the compound gates, his branch house bodyguards catching up with him along the way.

The rough hands of a remaining guard seized her arms from behind and she was all but dragged away. Neji was only slightly more gentle in hauling Hanabi along. They were taken to back to the manor house, through the servant wing into the kitchen, and down into the wine cellar where they were deposited roughly onto the cold cement floor. The man who'd held Hinata immediately turned to leave, but Neji remained, staring at them with an unreadable expression.

Hanabi lunged at him, but gifted as Hiashi's youngest was, she was no match for Neji. He drove the heel of his palm into her chest, knocking her down where she lay gasping, clutching at her breast. Hinata shot to her feet in a rage. That same move, bolstered with chakra, had stopped her heart and almost killed her during her first chuunin exam. Neji had no concept of _too far_. She tried to shove him, but he blocked her arms.

"Calm down," he said harshly. "Just stay in here and keep quiet until things settle down."

"Do you hear yourself?" she cried. "Is there _no_ honor left in this clan? Don't you care what's happening out there? To Tenten and Lee and Gai-sensei? You know they're not standing by while Konoha falls into the hands of traitors. _Traitors_, Neji! That's exactly what the Hyuuga clan has become by allowing this!"

Neji said nothing. His eyes were wide, his fists clenched, knuckles white. It was definitely a shock to see such bold aggression from sweet, timid Hinata. But Hinata was fed up, disgusted with her clan, with her father and Neji in particular. She was sick of being nice; not one of them deserved her kindness.

Voice low with scorn, she said, "I can't believe I ever looked up to you."

Neji slapped her.

Hinata took it silently. Nothing he did would surprise her anymore. Tasting copper, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at him. He was pale and shaking with anger and something else…frustration, regret? She could see that his conflicting loyalties were tearing him in two. But Hinata did not feel sorry for him.

"You're a coward," she told him coolly.

She thought he might hit her again, but Neji only stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. Then he turned and stormed out. The guard, nearly forgotten until now, followed and locked the cellar door behind them. The dim, bare bulb overheard was the only remaining light.

Hinata turned to her sister, who was still struggling to regain her breath. She knelt beside her and eased her onto her back, and carefully sent a small amount of chakra into her chest to ease her recovery. She wasn't very skilled as a medic, but she could do little things. She could be out there making a difference right now.

After a minute Hanabi was able to sit up, and gasped, "Motherfucker."

Hinata stared at her, bemused. She had never heard her sister talk that way. But then, she hadn't heard her sister talk much at all. Hanabi was looking at her with wide, imploring eyes, like a young girl looks to her big sister when things are rough. She hadn't looked at her that way in a very long time, since they were small children; so long Hinata couldn't even remember.

Still weak and slightly wheezy, Hanabi leaned over and rested her head on Hinata's shoulder. "Hina…what can we do?" Her voice was small and quiet; the voice of a thirteen year-old girl who had just been betrayed and imprisoned by her own family. "What are we being made part of?"

Hinata put her arms around her. "We're not _part_ of anything," she said. "That would require complicity."

Hanabi nodded against her. "But what can we do?" she repeated.

"I don't know," Hinata whispered, feeling immeasurably lost. "But we'll think of something. I promise."

* * *

From the moment Danzou left, Sakura could not stop thinking about his ominous parting words. "What do you think he meant by that?" she asked Shizune, twisting as far as her chair would let her. "He was completely confident. Is there something he can actually do to coerce us?" Her stomach clenched fearfully at the idea.

"There might be," Shizune groaned. She seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, and wearily assured, "It's superficial."

"What do you mean 'there might be'?"

Shizune attempted to sit up straighter. "When Danzou was arrested, all of his files were seized before his agents had a chance to clean out his home and offices. The cipher corps spent two days on them and, among other unconscionable things, they uncovered Root's assessment and enlistment protocols. The _real_ ones, not the lip-service he handed over for official record." She looked to Sakura darkly. "It was a subliminal indoctrination program. _Brainwashing_. That's why all the Root members are so unquestioningly loyal and—"

"Strange," Sakura finished, frowning. She would have heard about all of this herself if she hadn't…but she refused to dwell on that. "And when Tsunade-sama found out?"

Shizune didn't answer right away. "She ordered the immediate decommissioning of Root and the psychiatric evaluation of all members," she finally, quietly said. "This all happened today."

"Bastard has perfect timing," Sakura said dryly. He was even more fortunate in that most of the elite jounin were out of the village on missions. The coup had been nearly effortless. She sighed heavily. "So you think he's going to try to _indoctrinate_ us."

"Probably," Shizune replied distantly, as if she didn't care.

Sakura studied her carefully. Her wounds might be superficial, but she was far from alright. "What happened?" she asked gently. "How did they capture you?"

Her face crumpled, particularly agonized with the darkening bruises marring her pale features. Something had her on the edge of a breakdown. She squeezed her eyes shut, shook her head roughly and said, "No time for that now. They'll be back any minute. How is your chakra?"

"Coming back." Sakura focused within for a moment. "Slowly."

"Do you think you could break free?"

Her restraints were reinforced leather. She tested them and felt some of the stitching tear. As usual, a medic's ability to rapidly metabolize foreign inhibitors—like tranquilizers—had been underestimated. Especially medics of Sakura and Shizune's caliber. They really should have dosed them again if they expected them to stay put. "In a couple minutes, yes."

"Good. Be ready on my move."

Sakura nodded and focused on gathering chakra into her arms. They had no idea how long it took for the Root agents to come back, but it felt like at least twenty minutes. With every second Sakura and Shizune grew stronger.

When the door finally opened there were only two of them. One held a tray bearing two syringes and a bottle of unidentifiable liquid, and the other carried a strange device that looked something like an overhead projector. The agent carrying it set it on a rolling table, plugged it in and turned it on. The light bulb began to blink slowly, and Sakura realized what the device was. The lights would blink in differing patterns and speeds, eventually hypnotizing them. Whatever was in those syringes would further open their subconscious minds to suggestion. Subliminal indoctrination.

Shizune began to breathe heavily, and shot Sakura a meaningful look. The agents ignored her as they prepped, probably thinking she was hyperventilating from fear, but Sakura knew what Shizune was really doing was expanding her lung capacity. She knew what was coming.

The one with the syringes approached Shizune first. She squirmed to avoid his touch and he grabbed her by the chin, tilting her head back and leaning over her as he brought the needle to her neck. Shizune exhaled a heavy gust, blowing a cloud of thick purple smoke right into his face. The tray dropped with a loud metal clang and he staggered back, clutching at his throat as he choked on the poison gas still billowing around his head. He fell to the ground and started to convulse.

With the creak of ripping leather, Sakura burst out of her chair and rushed the other agent, locking her hand around his throat before he had a chance to attack. She bore him to the ground, but her strength was less than full; she couldn't crush his windpipe. Even with minimal chakra Sakura was still stronger than a man twice her size. She released his arm—which had been trying to grasp the fallen syringe—and brought her other hand to his chin, pressing down hard. His neck snapped, and he went still.

Shizune broke free of her restraints with a bit more difficulty than Sakura; she wasn't as skilled at converting chakra into strength. She knelt over the poisoned agent, using his own kunai to make sure he wouldn't get up again.

The door burst open and a third agent who had been stationed as a guard outside ran in with weapons drawn, alerted by the sounds of struggle. He went for Sakura who was closest, slashing at her. Sakura knew he had orders not to kill her, but he could seriously injure her. She had no weapon and was forced to evade, scrambling backward, searching for something to use as a weapon.

She bumped into the rolling table and found one: she grabbed the hypnosis device by the neck of the lamp and swung it into his head. He stumbled, and then Shizune was on him, driving her stolen kunai into the back of his neck.

The women looked at each other. Shizune ran to the open door and shut it quickly before anyone else noticed. "Break through the outside wall," she told Sakura.

There were no windows in the interrogation rooms, but Sakura and Shizune both knew which direction they faced. There was only one problem. "I don't think I can break it by myself right now."

Shizune walked back to her side, her expression resigned. They faced the north wall. "I'm not very good at this, but I think we can break through together."

"We have to," Sakura said grimly. "Ready?" Shizune took a deep breath, focusing her chakra flow, and nodded. "One…two…three!"

Their fists slammed into the concrete wall as one. Spider cracks laced through the wall, but it didn't give.

"Damn it!" Sakura growled. "Again!"

They punched again. Sakura put more effort into impact than protecting herself to ensure they broke through, and screaming pain reverberated through her left arm as the wall gave way. Now she had injured both hands. Shizune cradled hers as well, her knuckles torn and bleeding. If they were fast and very lucky, they wouldn't have to fight anymore.

The hole was only just big enough for them to slip through, but they wasted no time descending the side of the building and racing toward the part of the village that was darkest. They kept to the shadows in alleyways and covered sidewalks and saw no one along the way. Or more accurately, saw nothing but bodies.

The fighting was over. The fires were dying out, the smoke dissipating into the atmosphere. It was devastatingly quiet.

Root agents were still patrolling though, tying up whatever loose ends they could find. Sakura and Shizune couldn't move fast enough, and were afraid that any second an alarm would ring out announcing their escape.

"Shizune," Sakura hissed. They paused to catch their breath in an alley lined with trash bins. "Should we look for other people?" She knew how risky that was, and also knew they were unlikely to find anyone now, but she didn't feel right about possibly leaving someone she cared about behind. "Do you think Naruto—?"

Shizune shook her head. "You know we can't. And Naruto is almost certainly gone by now." She caught Sakura's worried expression and added, "I'm sorry. But he's our greatest hope of taking Konoha back. Whoever was with him would have made sure he escaped. They wouldn't have waited. We're on our own." Her voice quavered on the last words.

Sakura was afraid for her friends, for herself, for the uncertain future. But if Root caught her, she would never have the chance to do anything about it. She steeled herself, shutting out everything but the needs of the moment. "Let's go then."

They sprinted straight toward the dark, empty warehouse sector at the eastern edge of the village, did not slow or stop until they were up and over the outer wall. They ran through the forest at breakneck speed, not bothering to cover their passage, prioritizing distance over concealment. The border of Bird country—former Sound territory—was less than a hundred kilometers away and covered by woodland then entire way. They could make it by dawn if they gave it everything they had.

They crossed the border just as the sky brightened from gray to lilac to pink, but they didn't stop running until their exhausted, beaten bodies would no longer let them continue. Their escape had surely been discovered by now, but it was unlikely they were being followed. Root wouldn't be able to search until full dawn, and too many had escaped last night in all directions to distinguish one set of tracks from another. Root wouldn't know where to start. They were safe for now, and were lucky enough to find a long-abandoned bear den, and they collapsed panting inside.

Shizune pulled off her heeled sandals and threw them in disgust. She bent over her blistered and bleeding feet and applied a little chakra, wearily cursing that she would never wear heels again. Sakura tended to her arm, but there wasn't much she could do. All the chakra she and Shizune regained had been continuously expended during their flight. They needed to eat but they were too tired to hunt. They had no provisions but the clothes on their backs and the weapons they'd stolen, not even any money. Most importantly they needed rest.

But they could not sleep.

It was dark and quiet in the ancient forests of former Sound, the emerging sunlight barely penetrating the thick canopy. They didn't speak for a long time, both staring into the middle distance, reliving their own private hell of the night Konoha had fallen.

Finally Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She'd been afraid to bring it up because she had no doubt of what she would hear, but the agony of not knowing was far worse than the pain that would come with the truth. She looked at Shizune, and Shizune stared back. Understanding was in both of their faces. Very quietly Sakura said, "Tell me."

It was a long minute before Shizune could find the words. "She was the first target," she began unsteadily. Her eyes were haunted and glistening in the darkness. "They snuck into her chambers. She woke up and fought them—the Hokage tower is in ruins—but there were so many…and she still hadn't fully recovered from her coma, and…" She had to stop for several moments. "Like I said, the tower…the noise and the shaking woke me and I ran to her rooms…when I got there she was already…" She started to sob, her speech strung together between gasping breaths. "I tried to help her but they came at me next. The building was starting to collapse from the structural damage. I fought them until…"

She trailed off; there was no need to continue. Sakura wept as well, and crawled to Shizune and they held each other in shared grief.

Teacher, mentor, second mother, the person Sakura had modeled herself after when her life was in need of a change. Gone. Forever. She knew it would happen someday, but not like this. She hadn't gotten a chance to speak to her. Hadn't even seen her in days. Same with Ino.

That was the thing about death…there were no second chances. Who else had she lost tonight without knowing?

A long time passed. The sky grew light outside the cave. High in the treetops, the birds began to sing their morning greeting.

Eventually, without pulling away, Shizune whispered, "What happened to you?"

Sakura gulped in a deep breath. It was almost impossible to cry harder than she already was. "They came to my house. But Ino had been warned by her dad and she came to get me out just in time. We made it to the training grounds before they caught us. Ino…I don't know how it happened. One second we were fighting them together and then…"

She sat back angrily, letting those darker feelings come to her rescue again. It felt so much better than being lost and scared. "I don't even know how any of this happened!" She had been out of the village and only returned a little over a week ago, so caught up in the situation with Sasuke and Uchiha Madara that she didn't fully understand the political climate in Konoha. "Danzou was arrested four days ago; how could he have planned this in such a short time?"

Shizune shrugged listlessly. "Maybe he'd had the plan in place for a while. He knew once Tsunade-sama recovered he would be in a lot of trouble. Especially after his behavior at the Kage summit."

_That_ Sakura knew of, because she had been nearby. Sasuke had shown up at the summit looking for Danzou but ended up fighting the other Kages while Danzou fled. Fed up with his ever-increasing betrayals, Sakura had taken it upon herself to kill Sasuke and tracked him as he was chasing down Danzou. She wished now that she hadn't intercepted him. She wished Sasuke would have caught up to the bastard and cut him to pieces.

Sakura looked down at her lap and gave a short, despondent laugh.

Shizune glanced at her. "What."

"My hands are still shaking." They hadn't stopped since she was strapped to the chair. It could be stress, or it could be because they were black and blue. She didn't care enough to think about it.

Shizune had nothing to say to that, and soon went back to staring into space.

The life they had known was gone. They couldn't bear to think of what lay ahead of them tomorrow, or the day after. For now, they existed in limbo. Sakura was glad she was here with Shizune. Her one small comfort: she wasn't alone.

"This isn't the end," Shizune whispered, trying to comfort herself as much as Sakura.

Sakura nodded, sniffed, and wiped her face with a dirty, aching hand. Her expression was pale and lost, but her eyes were filled with hard fire. "No," she agreed. "Somehow we'll take back our home."

They laid down on the cold earthen floor, their backs to each other for warmth, and were silent until sleep finally overcame them.

* * *

TBC


	3. Walking Through Exile

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Three: Walking Through Exile

##

* * *

It was miserably hot.

The flat grasslands had a dry, savage look; a roasting savannah under an indifferent sun. Trees grew here and there in sparse clusters that provided meager cover and no reprieve from the torrid heat. Snakes and lizards sunned themselves blissfully on scorching rocks.

Two kunoichi trudged down the cracked dirt road, their shuffling feet kicking up gritty red dust that covered their boots and legs and everything else. Sweat formed at their temples, trickled down their backs. They marched doggedly, one foot in front of the other, thinking only of their destination: the town less than three kilometers away. Air-conditioning, cold drinks, cool showers. Beds.

They had been on the road for two weeks.

They had been out here on their own for two years.

At the moment, they were in the neutral territory between Wind country and the southern peninsula of Fire, close to the ocean but not close enough to benefit from the cool, salty air and merciful breezes. It was late in the spring, and this far south the heat wave had already begun.

As a rule they kept mostly to the belt of small territories that formed a buffer between the larger nations. There was an alliance between the greater hidden villages, and being an enemy to one technically made them an enemy to all.

Despite his treachery, the other Kages had supported Danzou through his coup. The rumor on the wind had been that they were forced to accept it because their respective Daimyo had accepted it, and to openly oppose the governors of their countries would have started civil war. The restraints of diplomacy. Rumor also had it that there had been several assassination attempts on Danzou in the past two years and that they had most likely come from the other villages. All of the attempts had failed, but Danzou had grown increasingly paranoid and never went anywhere without a full guard.

For the past two years Sakura and Shizune had wandered, taking jobs to keep their bellies full, never staying in one place for long. But they had lingered in this region for the last six months. They had made friends here, people who offered work as well as information, supplies, and a relatively safe place to lay their heads at night.

Here was where they discovered the shinobi underground, a network of exchange for services and information. Most of it was rumors and gossip and petty criminals hiring missing-nin to do their dirty work. But if one knew how to look and whom to ask—or knew someone who did—they could learn all sorts of useful and interesting things. Most important of which were the whispers of an emerging resistance force of exiled Leaf ninja; fugitive survivors of the overthrow. No one knew anything about them. Not who led them, not how large their force was, not where they were hiding. Only that they might exist.

Sakura and Shizune had been trying to make contact for months. They were retuning now from another false lead, another dead end. And so it was back to town to start all over again.

A copse of trees next to the road up ahead looked like a promising place to rest, until they got closer and saw their intended shady spot was already occupied. Six men, each one dirtier and sweatier than the next, all watched intently as they approached.

"Great," Shizune muttered. Sakura echoed her irritation with a click of her tongue. This was the last thing they wanted to deal with right now.

They kept their pace even, looking in their simple yukata like two ordinary women traveling between towns. Sakura had complained about wearing the extra layer on such a brutal day, but the always-practical Shizune reminded her that it was better to remain disguised than comfortable while traveling. Now their disguises had created a hassle, because they would never be accosted by highwaymen in shinobi attire with their weapons on display.

The men began to rise from where they'd lounged in the shade for who knows how long, waiting for innocent victims to pass by. Sakura and Shizune walked past without acknowledging them, but knew they wouldn't get far.

"Hello ladies," said the burliest one, probably the leader. He caught up to them easily. "Do you happen to have the time?"

What a stupid ploy, Sakura thought. She reached into the small pouch at her hip and checked her watch. "Two forty-five," she said brusquely.

Another one came up on their other side. "Can you spare some water? I'm gettin' really hot'n bothered all a sudden." Dark chuckles sounded around them.

Shizune rolled her eyes. Sakura started to get angry. They kept walking. The rest of the filthy pack stalked around them, strategically caging them in. The leader stepped right in front of them, cutting them off.

"What's the hurry sweetheart?" His grin was full of wicked intent.

Tiring of the game, Shizune stopped, fixing her much taller adversary with a flat glare. "You don't want to do this," she warned.

Unlike Shizune, Sakura was not hoping for evasion. Bandits were common in ungoverned territories, though this was the first time they had encountered any. These men moved with arrogant confidence, certain of their well-practiced predation of innocent travelers, most of them undoubtedly women. She was practically itching to teach them a lesson.

"Oh I don't, do I?" laughed the brute. He looked at his buddies knowingly. "That's where you're wrong, honey. I wanna do it _real_ bad."

He tried to grab Shizune. She seized his arm and bent it backwards, snapping the bone through his skin. He screamed in pain and tried to backhand her with his good arm. She caught his fist with one hand and kicked him in the stomach, not letting him fly backward until his arm dislocated. With no way to brace his fall he hit the ground hard.

The rest were an almost comical mixture of anger and fear. They didn't know what to do now that their prey was fighting back. Sakura and Shizune didn't give them a chance to make up their minds. It was a joke, really, taking out these thugs. No weapons were drawn, and in less than thirty seconds all five were writhing and groaning on the ground, or unconscious. One was dead, his nasal bones driven into his brain.

The kunoichi dusted themselves off and assessed the state of their would-be attackers in disgust. "What should we do with them?" Shizune pondered, toeing the behemoth with two ruined arms.

Sakura held no illusions about what these men had intended. How many had they robbed, raped, killed, tossed into a ditch for wild animals to dispose of? "They'll only do it again, and more viciously than ever after this," she said coldly. "The blood will be on our hands if we let that happen."

Shizune nodded grimly. They used chakra to do it; these pigs didn't deserve to die by a warrior's weapon. They cleaned out their pockets and left them on the side of the road, exactly where Sakura and Shizune would have ended up had they actually been common travelers.

They picked up the pace and continued the last few kilometers, more eager than ever to get a hot meal and a cold shower.

An hour later they entered the outskirts of Busan, the town they'd resided in sporadically for the last several months. It was a commercial center located at a crossroads between two of the greater nations and the ocean to the south. Merchants here sold just about everything, from fresh seafood to household goods to exotic imports from across the seas. In the back alleys of the trade quarter one could find more specialized goods: weapons and narcotics and mercenaries selling their skills with no questions asked. There was no human trafficking though, because the merchant's guild that ran the city knew Suna and Konoha would be all over them if they tried. At least _some_ things hadn't changed under Danzou's regime.

As they passed through the market on their way across town, they encountered an all too familiar sight: two children, a boy about ten and a girl around seven sitting against the wall on the back side of the bakery, their knobby, dirty knees pulled up to their chests. Orphans, probably siblings, too young to work, forced to scavenge and beg in the streets. They were waiting for the baker to throw out the stale bread at the end of the day. Maybe the baker gave it to them out of kindness, or maybe they would have to fish it out of the trash. The latter was more common.

Sakura caught Shizune's eye and they went over. The kids scooted closer together nervously and stared up at them with distrustful curiosity. Sakura knelt down to their eye level and smiled. "Here," she said, holding out the grimy leather pouch containing the bandit's stolen money. She'd intended to give it to the local doctor to buy medical supplies, but seeing these kids had changed her mind. They couldn't even afford to see a doctor if they needed to.

They didn't move at first, until she shook the bag and they heard the clink of coin. The boy snatched the purse from her hand and pulled the strings open. The girl leaned over him to see for herself. Their eyes were huge. It was a lot of money, enough to feed two children for months.

"Thanks nee-chan!" the girl exclaimed, her dirty face brightening in a smile.

Sakura smiled again. "Keep it safe, and make it last. Are either of you hurt anywhere? Have you been sick?" They shook their heads. They were lucky, or maybe they hadn't been homeless long. She pulled two kunai from the top of her boot and held them handles out. "Do you know what these are?" she asked them. They both nodded. "Do you know how to use one?" The girl hesitated, but the boy nodded again. She put them in the boy's free hand and closed his grubby fingers around them. "Don't let _anyone_ take from you. Protect your sister, and teach her to protect herself."

The boy nodded seriously, and shyly mumbled, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Take care." she ruffled their hair before standing and rejoining Shizune. They smiled at each other as they turned onto the main road, feeling better than they had in days. Helping people who needed it most was one of the only joys they found anymore.

They crossed town into the pleasure quarter, which was not entirely as bawdy as it sounded. This part of town was where all the bars and theaters and yes, brothels, were located. At the far end of one of the quieter streets Sakura and Shizune entered their destination: the Hub. It was a small, unimpressive tavern with some card tables and a few rooms for rent upstairs, and certainly didn't look like the "center" of anything. Most of the pleasure seekers stayed away because the place was boring compared to the flashing lights and loud music of other establishments. Most people thought it was the least aptly named joint in the city.

Most people were wrong. The Hub was most definitely the center of something—the shinobi underground. This was where free agents came to find jobs, buy and sell information, and learn what was happening around the ninja world. Sometimes allied shinobi from one of the greater nations would come in looking for information, but they were usually discreet, established contacts who never caused trouble. Once, an unfamiliar Konoha nin had come around asking questions and Sakura and Shizune quickly slipped out the back door and didn't return until the next day. He hadn't been seen again.

Sakura had been somewhat surprised to learn early on that the operators of the Hub knew Hatake Kakashi on sight. But then, a lot of people did. She was disappointed to hear he hadn't been seen around there in nearly two years. Not since the overthrow, at which time he'd been out of the village. But the fact that he'd come around every so often before was partly why they decided to hang around for a while. In case he or someone else they knew came back. If he was still alive.

Shizune and Sakura plodded straight upstairs to the room they shared. The owner, an enormous grizzled veteran named Jinbei, kept a room reserved for them without a holder's fee. He liked them, and joked that he liked having two pretty girls around to decorate the place. They liked him as well, and put up with his halfhearted, mildly chauvinistic flirting because they knew he considered them ninja first.

Their room was small with two single beds, a shared dresser which they still didn't manage to fill, a single dusty window with age-worn curtains, and a tiny bathroom.

"Dibs," Sakura declared, dropping her pack and heading straight for the bathroom.

"Why do you get dibs?" Shizune groused. "I've got that beast's blood on me."

Sakura turned in the doorway. "I'll arm-wrestle you for it…"

"Bitch." Shizune sighed and flopped back on the bed.

Grinning, Sakura went to shower. Afterward, clean and cooled off, she stood in her underwear and a fitted mesh undershirt in front of the foggy mirror and examined herself, wondering how much her face had changed. She didn't remember exactly what she'd looked like before becoming a renegade, but she knew it wasn't this. Her eyes definitely hadn't been this sharp, this serious. She was only nineteen, but she had lost the softness of her youth. Inside and out.

Her eyes fell to the thin, diagonal scar on her lightly tanned shoulder. She'd kept it on purpose, to always remind her of what had been done to her, of what she had lost. What every citizen of Konoha had lost. What they would find a way to take back again.

Sakura combed through her long, auburn hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail. Not all of it was long enough, and hung around her face in wispy layers. She liked the reddish shade; having been vibrant all her life, she couldn't bear to disguise herself with some drab, mousy color. Blonde was unthinkable. She'd gotten so good at the minor henge that she kept it going at all times, even in her sleep. If Tsunade had been able to keep herself looking thirty years younger, Sakura could certainly maintain a different hair color.

Sakura blinked. She didn't like to think too much about her shishou. She turned from the mirror and finished tying her hair by feel. Shizune was half asleep when she came out. "All yours."

Sakura dressed in her regular shinobi clothing, glad to be out of that stifling yukata. Busan was full of all types: ninjas, mercenaries, pirates, and many others who kept to themselves. They didn't need civilian clothes to blend in. She strapped her weapons back on; a brace of kunai tucked inside the rim of her boot, another at her hip. Attached to her belt by a special clip was a light, thin piece of steel that looked like a large, folded straight razor, wrapped in a delicate chain. It didn't look like what it was, and it was her favorite. She left her hunting knife and garroting wire attached to her pack.

"I'm going downstairs," she called loudly enough for Shizune to hear in the shower.

The Hub was dusky in mid-afternoon and business was slow. It usually was, since the place only functioned as a tavern on the surface. A few people sat around a card table toward the back. Sakura didn't recognize them, which was normal. People came in, conducted their affairs, and left. Only occasionally wouldanyone hang around for more than a few days. Sakura and Shizune were a rarity. Another regular employee of the Hub, a short, pudgy man everyone called Mochi, who was nowhere near as unfit as he looked, sat at the far end of the bar reading the paper.

Jinbei's nephew Touga was tending the bar as usual. Sakura watched him wipe down the bar top for a moment, taking him in before he noticed her. He was nothing like his uncle physically: average height, strong but unintimidating build, with shoulder length dark hair he kept tied back and warm green eyes that always held a hint of mischief. She wasn't sure how old he was, but he seemed in his early twenties. She also knew he had a pretty serious criminal record and had done time in prison—he had the tattoos and scars to prove it. Of course she didn't know what for, and didn't want to. They were all without past at the Hub, at least on the surface. He looked up when she was halfway across the room.

"Hey Midori. I heard you were back. Snuck in without saying hello, eh?" He grinned.

She sat on one of the stools. "Wanted to clean up first."

He waved a dismissive hand. "You're always gorgeous."

Sakura simply smiled. Unlike his uncle, Touga's flirting was genuine; he'd made his fancy for her clear from the moment they met. He was attractive and enjoyable company. It wasn't hard to accept his attention, or to return it.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving."

"Kimiko coming down?"

"In a minute. Could you get her something too?"

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Sakura let herself behind the bar to get something to drink. For a second she debated pouring something strong, after the less-than-pleasant day, but she knew drinking alcohol in this heat would just dehydrate her. Instead she rummaged through the mini-fridge for the pitcher of iced green tea. Pitcher in hand, she moved to the edge of the bar and flipped through a stack of newspapers until she found one from Fire and then went back to her stool.

A lot could be learned about the current state of affairs in Konoha by scouring the papers, wading through the mire of propaganda to discover a grain of truth. Hidden villages were secretive by nature and kept most things from the eyes of the world, and specifically, the other villages. But unless a village closed its walls to all outsiders, certain information inevitably leaked out and was spread around.

In the last two years Konoha had fallen into serious decline. The economy was struggling as resources were shifted toward military development—Danzou's outward reason being the ever-looming threat of Akatsuki. But the criminal organization and its leader had pretty much fallen off the radar since the last two jinchuuriki went underground—one a fugitive, status unknown, and the other protected by his village—and Madara's trump card Uchiha Sasuke disappeared over a year ago.

Soft footsteps echoed from the stairwell and Sakura heard Shizune come up behind her. "Anything?"

"Nothing this week," she sighed, refolding the paper and pushing it aside.

Shizune took the neighboring stool and filled her glass from the pitcher. They sat in silence, mutually dejected, but it happened too often to keep talking about it. Two years and not a word, not a single familiar face in all their travels. Of course everyone would have laid low at first, as Sakura and Shizune had, but surely not for this long? They were starting to think the rumors were just that. Sakura prayed the resistance was real and that Konoha would be liberated soon. The people who were left behind were the ones suffering the most. At least fugitives like her were free.

Touga returned with two heaping plates of yakisoba. He and Shizune exchanged a stilted greeting and the women gratefully dug in.

Mochi grunted with interest at something he was reading. "Hnh. New names in the Bingo Book, including one from Konoha. Kind of surprising, this one; a kunoichi called Hyuuga Hanabi."

Sakura and Shizune stopped eating and exchanged glances. Mochi saw it; it was his job to see everything that happened around here.

"Know her?" He slid the book down the length of the bar.

Shizune picked it up. The girl was in her teens, with long, stick-straight black hair and large opalescent eyes. All Hyuugas looked similar, but she looked so much like Hinata, with only slightly more angular features. Sakura had all but forgotten Hinata had a sister. She had never met her.

"Not really," Sakura answered. "It's just surprising to see a Hyuuga in the book."

After the overthrow, the Bingo Book had been filled with Konoha shinobi. That was how Sakura and Shizune learned who survived—at least those who fled and didn't surrender. Naruto wasn't in there, but they assumed (desperately hoped) he was omitted intentionally so the other fugitives wouldn't be given hope. They had counted them all, written down their names. Over the last two years many of those names had been removed from the book. Caught and killed. They had bleakly crossed them off their own list, each blacked-out name chipping a little more at their fractured hope.

But in all this time there had never been a Hyuuga wanted by Konoha. This led them to believe the clan had immediately surrendered, or they were part of the coup. Traitors. Hyuuga Hanabi was only a recent addition to the Bingo Book. Had she fled Konoha? What about her sister?

"Seems too small and cute to be very dangerous," Mochi decided.

"That's exactly _why_ she is," Shizune said. "Most people only underestimate a Hyuuga once."

The round man assented with a shrug, and the girls finished eating.

"Hey Touga," Shizune said when the bartender came back around. "That lead you gave us was a dead end. Again."

Touga stopped and gave her an unreadable, not very obliging look. She was always snappy with him. "Sorry. I can only give what I get."

Before Shizune said something rude, Sakura grabbed her attention. "I think we might need a new strategy," she said. "Every time we fish around for clues or try to make contact, we've been really vague about who we are. Two random ninja looking for the Leaf resistance…would _you_ come out into the open for that?"

"What do you suggest then?"

"I think we should be more specific with the bait. Drop a hint that someone from Konoha will recognize." She thought about it for a moment. "What about…the princess's handmaidens."

Shizune looked intently at Sakura, a knowing smile on her lips. "That's perfect."

Touga snorted in amusement. "_Princess's handmaidens?_ That's about the least fitting description of you two I can think of."

"What do _you_ know?" Shizune said, glaring at him.

"Please Touga," Sakura coaxed. "Put the word out?"

The bartender sighed. "Alright. I'll have one of my guys poke around. With any luck I should have something for you in two or three days."

"Thank you," she said, smiling with genuine gratitude. He was certainly no philanthropist, and it was clear he was only so helpful because of his personal interest in her. Shizune didn't help with her coldness. She turned to her partner and asked, "So, what should we do while we wait?"

Shizune already had something in mind, because she answered immediately. "Let's visit the springs nearby."

Sakura gave her a look. "You mean the ones _five kilometers_ outside of town? We've been walking for a week straight! I want to relax."

"Which is exactly why the springs will be great; we can relax a lot more there than here. Besides, we've been here how long and never gone?"

It was obvious that Shizune wanted to get away, out of Busan, out of the Hub. It would be nice to temporarily take their minds off the never-ending fruitless search for their comrades. "Alright," she agreed. "When do you want to leave?"

"Now," Shizune said, getting up. "I'll go get our packs." She walked away and headed upstairs.

Sakura cleared their empty plates and took them to the kitchen. The cook, a wispy old woman with one eye who hardly ever spoke, took the plates out of her hands and smiled at her. Her teeth were filed into sharp points—a common identifier of Mist shinobi. She too bore prison tattoos on her thin wrists.

On her way out Touga blocked her in the doorway, his looming frame casting a shadow over her. "You just got back," he said in a low voice. "Sure you don't want to wait here? I'll help you relax…" His hand slid over her hip.

Sakura gazed up at him, tempted, her stomach warming at the memory of his hands on her body. It had been a while; she could use the release. But her aching muscles made her decide she would rather soak in a spring than expend more energy. Besides, Shizune was anxious and unhappy, and she wasn't going to ignore the unspoken plea of her friend. "Not this time."

"That's too bad," he murmured, leaning in on her. His lips brushed her ear.

It was at that moment that Shizune came back, both packs slung over her shoulder. She saw them in the doorway and huffed. "I'll be outside," she said shortly, and left.

Touga shook his head in bemusement. "Why doesn't she like me?"

Sakura looked at him, at his easy smile, longish hair, tanned skin, and deceptively easygoing manner. "You remind her of someone."

"Ah." He nodded sagely, as if it all suddenly made sense. "Ex-boyfriend?"

She withheld a sigh, and slipped out of his loose grasp. "Something like that. I'll see you later." Without waiting for his reply, she headed outside.

* * *

The hot springs, Sakura decided, were the best idea they'd had in months. After traveling through the late afternoon heat and almost completely negating the showers they'd taken earlier, they arrived at the resort just as business began to quiet down for the evening. That meant after checking in and dropping their bags in their room, they had the mineral pools all to themselves.

"I'm sooo sore," Sakura groaned, sinking up to her chin in the cool, milky blue water. It was heaven. Traveling on foot civilian-style was harder on the body than using chakra to enhance speed and keep muscles loose. Low profile had its price. "But you were right; it was definitely worth it to come here."

Shizune sighed blissfully and pushed her wet bangs out of her face, then piled her long dark braid on top of her head in a loose knot. They sat several feet across from each other in one of the smaller pools. "Mm. But this isn't nearly as tired and sore as we used to be at the temple with Master Inei."

It was tough for them in the beginning. They hadn't known where to go, where to turn for help or if they would even find it. Sakura's first thought was of her parents. They'd decided to move to the coast as soon as Sakura was old enough to take care of herself, and she was glad, because with the threat of Akatsuki and then Danzou, Konoha wasn't the safest of places for civilians these days. But the idea only lasted a moment, as her parent's house was certainly being watched. If she went there for help she would only get them killed.

They needed to eat, needed shelter, needed weapons and supplies. That meant they needed money. Neither of them knew how the world of missing-nin operated, how they got by. Shizune knew some shady people from Tsunade's wanton gambling days, but they were afraid to expose themselves. There was an enormous bounty on both of them.

Not knowing what else to do, they sought refuge at a small temple in the northern region of Fire, working in the gardens and helping with repairs to earn their keep. One day, after watching them spar in the courtyard, one of the monks offered to give them lessons in martial arts. They were ambivalent at first—they were shinobi, they already excelled at martial arts—but had accepted politely. And then Hozo Inei showed them quite painfully how much they _didn't_ know.

Most ninja specialized in one area of combat, perfecting their chosen skill by the time they became jounin. Sakura and Shizune were both experts with poisons, and Shizune—a jounin—excelled at using senbon and other projectiles. Because of the way they trained, most shinobi had major weaknesses in certain areas. Sakura, for example, had no long-range combat techniques, which had nearly gotten her killed more than once. Only an elite few like Hatake Kakashi were well rounded in multiple areas of combat.

Master Inei set out to narrow the gaps in their abilities. They learned different hand-to-hand styles and how to use different weapons, and discovered they had a natural affinity for one or two. They spent six months at the temple, eating little, sleeping less, training nonstop. They learned later that Inei was considered one of the greatest warrior monks in Fire country and that it was a great honor to receive his tutelage. He never told them why he'd chosen them.

It was a grueling but transformative experience, and it was hard to leave the serenity and security of the temple, but they eventually had to start searching for their comrades. They had wandered another year before deciding to stop in Busan.

Sakura laughed softly and closed her eyes, fondly remembering that time when she'd thought she would die of exhaustion each day. "That's for sure. I haven't been worked that hard since I first began training with Tsunade-sama."

They both fell quiet at the mention of their beloved master. A long silence passed and they didn't look at each other. Then Shizune quietly said, "I've been here with her before."

Sakura looked up. So that was why she'd insisted on coming here. The spa was owned and operated by the large casino nearby; it was no surprise that their game-loving shishou had passed through on her travels. Sakura couldn't think of anything to say; it was hard to talk about her. So she just smiled understandingly, and they fell quiet again.

The sun was setting, the sky darkening to the indigo of early nightfall. The first stars appeared. They stayed in the pools until well after dark and then had dinner sent up to their room. They ate in their bathrobes and watched bad sitcoms on TV as an excuse not to talk about the depressing things on their minds. It wasn't until later when they were lounging lazily on their futons that Shizune broke the mutual silence.

"Touga seems to like you a lot."

Surprised by the randomness of the comment, Sakura took a moment to answer. "I like him too," she said slowly.

"But…?"

Sakura shrugged. "We're strangers. Even if he did know the real me, he's not…what I want." She almost said '_who,'_ but she'd never told that secret to anyone, and close as she and Shizune were, she had no intention of divulging it.

"Do you think he's serious about you?"

Sakura smiled faintly. "No. He's never serious about anything for long. I prefer it that way." It made it easier, to share each other's company without expectations. She didn't have to feel guilty for her lack of genuine feelings. She had no interest in love anymore; it only caused problems.

Shizune didn't share her opinion, and Sakura noticed that sad, lonely look on her face again. Perhaps she would feel the same if she'd ever actually known the kind of love her friend clung to so steadfastly. Tentatively she asked, "Do you think Genma is still alive?"

Shizune flinched slightly, snapping out of her thoughts. Her dark eyes turned fierce. "I have to believe it," she said quietly. It was just about all that kept her going anymore.

Sakura hadn't known about Shizune and Genma before exile. She hadn't known a lot of things. Back then she thought she'd become so mature, but she'd still been too caught up in her own bubble of personal drama to pay attention to the lives of people around her. Shizune was like a big sister, but Sakura had no idea that she and her teammate had been together for years.

"If he is, he'll be with the resistance," she said. "They all will."

"Not necessarily," Shizune countered. "We're not."

"Maybe. But if our friends are alive they'll never stop looking for us."

"Unless they think we're dead."

"But we have bounties on us; they know we got out of Konoha."

"Yeah. Two years ago."

Sakura glanced at her sourly. "You're in a depressing mood tonight."

Shizune sighed heavily and dropped her head onto the pillow. She had days like this sometimes, where no matter what she did, misery threatened to swallow her. "It's just…it's been so long I've stopped missing him, until I think about him, like now." _Or whenever I'm around that bartender for too long_, she didn't say, but they both knew. "I've learned to live without him and I hate it." She stared at the ceiling, carefully swallowed the lump in her throat. "And…I'm starting to lose hope that we'll ever find _anyone_. I'm starting to accept that this is our life now."

"Don't," Sakura said quietly. "They're out there somewhere. I can feel it."

It was a lie, but it was all they had. She couldn't be the only one who held onto hope. Not when her own was so fragile. But if she had ever learned anything from Naruto, it was to fight against despair to the very end.

"We can't give up yet."

* * *

Hinata swallowed thickly, wrestling down the nerves that always seized her whenever she stood outside these doors. Today had been uneventful for the most part, and she didn't think it likely that the entire day would pass without something awful occurring.

She knocked lightly on the solid double doors, ignoring the looks of the masked guards on either side, whose eyes she couldn't see but could feel. A haughty, curt reply granted her entry. She barely poked her head inside the door.

Danzou sat at the ornate desk of his—stolen—office, reading something she couldn't see. The evening sunlight filled the room in such a way that he was only a dark silhouette backed by golden brightness. His ego would probably appreciate the symbolism.

"Hokage-sama, I'm finished for the day." She didn't ask if there was anything else he needed, lest he decide that there was.

He ignored her for nearly a minute; she wondered if he did it on purpose just to illustrate his power over her and everything in this village. When he finally addressed her he didn't look up from whatever had his attention. "You filed the latest interrogation reports?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Another long silence. She resisted the urge to fidget; even five seconds in his presence made her uncomfortable.

"Very well," he finally, absently, said. "You may go."

Hinata began to close the door.

"Wait."

She stopped, her heart palpitating.

"Take this and file it before you leave." He closed the file he was reading and held it out.

She walked forward, outwardly calm. Danzou had barely extended his arm; she would have to get close to him to take it. She came around the side of the desk, close enough that she could make out the shadowed features on the half of his face not covered by those mysterious bandages. She reached out and took one end of the folder. He didn't release it right away. His head turned a fraction in her direction and his imperious gaze traveled from the folder to her, rising up her front, stopping at her chest and going no higher. It took everything Hinata had not to shudder in revulsion. He finally let go, and then it took everything she had not to bolt from the room.

Once she left the office and the thick doors were safely between them, she quickly filed the stupid folder and hurried out of the tower as fast as she could without running, hoping none of the lurking Root agents she passed noticed the fury on her face. Hinata was not an angry person by nature, but the current environment of Konoha and the indignities she faced on a daily basis had frayed her placid temper. She loathed the very sight of Danzou, and whenever he looked at her so lasciviously—which was any time he deigned to look at her at all—she struggled to conceal her disgusted outrage.

She despised her father for volunteering her to be the Hokage's new assistant. She despised him for a lot of things. The last two years had been hell, and she was afraid every moment in Danzou's presence that he would see the thoughts behind her careful mask and imprison her. People were arrested for less than dirty looks these days.

The sun was setting as she made her way toward the Hyuuga compound, and the activity on the streets had dwindled to almost nothing. Shops were closing, civilians walked quickly, murmuring with their heads together or not talking at all. The curfew was at nine o'clock, even in summer when it was still light at that time. Like a ghost town, everything just went silent and still at night. People locked themselves in their homes, afraid to draw attention from the nocturnal patrols.

The village still bore the scars of that horrible night; many of the buildings hadn't been rebuilt, only the ones deemed important for official use. Everyone else had to repair the damages to their homes and businesses on their own time and money, both of which were scarce these days.

The Hokage tower had been restored almost the moment it was destroyed. But while it looked identical on the outside, the interior lacked the warm ambience it once had. The décor was austere, the atmosphere intimidating. Just like the tyrant who ruled from within.

The outward changes to Konoha were reflected in new social and legal policies as well. Traveling traders started taking their business elsewhere, affronted by the suspicious and hostile treatment they received trying to enter the village. No one could afford imported goods anyway because of increased taxes, and most preferred to support the declining earnings of their neighbors. In addition to economic strain, the people were increasingly oppressed by a strict military regime. Curfews, mail filtering, homes and businesses subject to search, arrests and interrogations for all sorts of nonsense, and even mysterious "disappearances." Martial law.

Hidden Leaf was a ninja village, and the way Danzou saw it, the civilian population was protected and provided for by the efforts of the shinobi forces—they should cater to the needs of the ninja and be grateful for the comfortable, war-free lives they were able to live because of them. Most ninja agreed with this on some level, for it was fundamentally accurate. But most of them had friends, neighbors, and family among the civilians and only a few—like the aristocratic Hyuuga—were comfortable with their subjugation.

However, the new policies didn't mean that life was great for the shinobi population. If anything, it was harder. Their regulations were even more constricting, for it was among the soldiers that Danzou could exercise his full martial power. Teams had been reassigned, splitting up comrades who'd worked together all their lives. Danzou's mindset was of the old, _old_ school, and he'd reinstated policies and practices that were archaic before Konoha was even founded. Kunoichi were taken off the battlefield and relegated to their original purpose: espionage and assassination, usually by method of seduction. It was only a matter of time before Konoha started stealing children with bloodline limits again, as Kumo had tried to do with Hinata all those years ago.

Hinata experienced all of this from a distance, because she didn't have a team to be parted from, and as the Hokage's full-time assistant she wasn't allowed to go on missions of any sort. Even training exercises had to be done in her own free time. She was also considered too important as a medic to be put in harm's way; even though she was far from accomplished in that field, she was one of the few left in Konoha who could use chakra to heal. And the pressure on her to improve those mediocre skills was increasing as Konoha prepared to make war—against whom, only Danzou and his council knew.

The signs of ever-increasing poverty and misery dwindled and eventually disappeared as she entered the neighborhood surrounding the Hyuuga compound. The rich were never truly affected by war and economic hardship, no matter how much they complained about their trivial sacrifices. Most of them had no idea of the things Hinata saw and heard on a daily basis, and wouldn't care if they did because it didn't affect them directly.

The compound was quiet, as usual, and the manor house was all but empty. The two servants she passed in the halls both smiled at her. Hinata was the only one they offered more than stoic obedience to. No matter what she was feeling inside, she always made sure to smile back. She knew they would turn their heads when the time came, just as they had done for her sister.

Crossing the inner courtyard on the way to her room, she spotted Neji performing kata drills on the lawn. He saw her as well and stopped, and worse, started toward her. She pointedly ignored him, and subtly increased her stride.

He was much taller, his legs longer, and he easily caught up with her. "Hinata…"

She kept walking. "I have nothing to say to you, Neji."

He caught her arm. "How long are you going to do this?"

Hinata whirled around, glaring, and jerked her arm from his grasp. "Until you stop licking my father's heels and become someone worthy of respect again."

Neji looked offended, but also chastised. It was hard to remain cold with him sometimes, because she felt sorry for him. He'd eventually apologized for treating them roughly the night of the coup. Hanabi had unequivocally told him where he could shove his apology, but Hinata had remained silent, unable to hate him, yet unable to forgive. She knew he was tortured with guilt over the death of his sensei, who had died helping several others escape, including Tenten and Lee. Neji didn't speak to anyone for days when he found out.

"I know you hate this," she continued, lowering her voice and glancing around. "What the clan has become. Why don't you do something?"

Neji stared at her, his eyes narrowed. "Why don't _you_?" He turned angrily and walked away toward the other side of the house.

Hinata stood there, taken aback. It took a long minute of cycling the words around in her head before his accusation really sunk in.

Neji was right.

She continued to her room on autopilot and sank down onto her bed. She called Neji a coward, but what was she? She may not be a willing part of what was happening, but she was just as guilty of inaction as her cousin. Since the night of the overthrow she hadn't done much of anything except keep her eyes and ears open and her mouth shut. As the Hokage's personal assistant she knew so much about Danzou's actions and plans, but what was she doing about it? Nothing. There was a small resistance force inside Konoha, furtively causing trouble for Danzou wherever and whenever they could, but she had been too afraid to look for them.

Hinata had never been very brave. Naruto had once inspired tremendous courage in her, but he was gone. He was alive, she knew, because Danzou's number one priority the past two years had been to find and kill Uzumaki Naruto, and if he ever succeeded he would announce it with great relish in order to eradicate the last lingering shred of hope.

What would the boy who taught her to stand up and fight think if he saw her now?

More than anything she wanted to run, to flee this desolate mockery of her home and not return until Danzou's head was mounted on a spike above the village gates.

But she had made a promise to Hanabi.

#

_The last time she was woken in the middle of the night it turned out to be the worst night of her life. But now, when the soft rustling near her bed alerted her senses, she opened her eyes in dread only to find her sister crouched beside her. _

"_Hana? What are you doing?"_

_Hanabi put a finger to her lips. "Shh. I don't have much time."_

_She sat up. "What?" _

"_I'm leaving, Hina. I can't stay here anymore like this. I can't continue doing nothing."_

_Eyes adjusting to the darkness, she could see her sister was dressed all in black, and armed, with a small pack on her shoulders. "_What?_" she said again, barely keeping her voice down. _

"Shh!_ Mariko has sentry duty tonight and she's promised to help me over her section of the outer wall."_

"_Where will you go?" _

"_You know where. If they're out there, I'll find them. And then I'll come back to get you out."_

"_This is insane," she said. She got up and searched for her clothes. _

"_What are you doing?" Hanabi hissed. _

"_Coming with you."_

"_No!"_

_Hinata turned, surprised by the vehement refusal. Hanabi came up close to her, grabbed her hands. _

"_We can't both go, Hinata. They'll hunt us down within hours. I need you to cover for me. Stall them as long as possible."_

"_Hanabi…" She was suddenly terrified for her sister. No longer were they strangers in the same house; what they'd been through during the past two years had forged an unbreakable bond between them. _

_Hanabi threw her arms around her, hugged her tight. Her voice quavered. "I'll find a way to contact you soon. I swear. Wait for it, and stay strong."_

"_You too," she whispered into her little sister's inky hair. "Please be careful."_

#

Hanabi vanished into the night. The next morning Hinata told her father that Hanabi left at dawn for the Forest of Death, intent on training her Byakugan. Hiashi didn't particularly care where his angry, petulant daughter went, and no one grew suspicious until after curfew. Even then no one really wanted to venture into the Forest of Death, especially at night. The next morning Hiashi sent Neji after her. Neji didn't return until dark, and though Hinata wondered at that, she'd never asked him about it. By the time Hiashi was forced to report the disappearance to Danzou, it had been three days. The trail had gone cold. Hinata was put under close scrutiny, but she had timidly dissembled and insisted that Hanabi lied to her. Everyone went back to ignoring her as usual, and Hinata began to wait. Counted ninety-two days. Hanabi was placed into the Bingo Book. And still not a whisper of contact.

Hinata got up and went to her closet, pulled up the loose floorboard in the back right corner, and retrieved the thick folio she'd stashed there. She ran her hand over the aged leather. If anyone learned she had this she would be executed. Inside was just about every damning bit of information she'd been able to acquire on Danzou over the past two years—copies of orders, missions, policies, a notebook full of information she'd overheard and memorized. Worst of all were the clandestine acts of aggression against the other villages who were supposed to be allies. It was more than enough to bring his reign of terror crashing down around him. She'd been sitting on it out of fear, but no longer.

From now on she wouldn't simply wait. If Hanabi didn't contact her soon she would find a way to get these documents to one of the other Kages.

Even if this was all she could do, even if it cost her life, she would find a way to fight back and make a difference.

* * *

After two nights and one relaxing, massage-filled day at the springs, Sakura and Shizune returned to Busan. They waited until sundown to avoid the heat, and when they arrived the town's nightlife was in full swing. To say it was lively would be an understatement. The summer temperatures kept everyone sluggish and hidden indoors during the day, and so the population came out to enjoy life in the balmy evening air instead.

The two kunoichi moved slowly through the streets, instinctively watchful of their persons and the activity around them. Crowds could be dangerous—perfect hiding places for thieves and assassins. There were plenty of both in Busan.

A few blocks from the Hub, a particular smell and red neon sign caught their attention.

"Hungry?" Shizune asked, glancing at Sakura knowingly.

Sakura grinned. "I am now."

They could never manage to pass down this street without stopping at the roadside takoyaki stall. It was one of those unremarkable places most people would pass by without seeing, but through word of mouth alone, it had become well-known local hotspot. The line was long but they waited patiently, received their orders in little paper boats, and stood on the sidewalk happily stuffing their faces. In all their travels, they had discovered some of the best food of their lives at little roadside eateries like this one.

After a few minutes Shizune nudged Sakura and gestured across the street. The kids they'd given the bandit's money to were sitting on a bench sharing a cup of sweet ice, laughing together. Under the bench near their feet was a brand new backpack they hadn't had before, no doubt filled with things that would keep them alive for months. They were wearing shoes.

The kunoichi looked to each other and smiled. What happened with the bandits had been worth it. They finished up, threw their trash away, and continued on toward the Hub. Hopefully Touga would have something legitimate for them to go on this time.

Before they reached the end of the block something caught Sakura's eye. A dog—a shaggy little mutt with light brown fur and darker patches—was sitting on the sidewalk looking at them, its gaze following them as they passed. It wasn't that unusual; stray dogs were common around here, and they were smart and knew how to play a couple of animal loving suckers for a bite of their delicious fried food. But this dog wasn't begging; it was across the street…and it was _watching_ them. With a keen and knowing intellect in its big, chocolate eyes.

Sakura stared back suspiciously, and after a moment the dog ran off into a back alley. She decided not to say anything to Shizune, and they kept walking, but her guard was raised.

Several blocks further on Shizune was diverted by a new display in the window of a weapons shop—and the orange stickers that said SALE! —and insisted they go in and take a look. Sakura was equally tempted by the prospect of shiny new sharp things for cheap. They browsed around for a while, but there was nothing they really needed that they didn't already have, though Sakura was momentarily enthralled by an enormous double-headed battleaxe that was more than half her bodyweight. She also enjoyed the looks on everyone's faces when she lifted it up like it weighed no more than a chopstick. But shinobi had no use for that kind of bulk, and she returned it to the rack with a sigh.

Then she saw the dog again. It was across the street again, positioned to see directly into the shop window. It was looking right at her.

Sakura glanced away and casually made her way over to her partner, who was scrutinizing a rack of pikes and spears. She nudged her elbow. "Stay calm," she said in a low voice. Shizune tensed, but continued browsing the rack. "Outside the shop. See that dog?"

She paused a second, not expecting the 'dog' part, and surreptitiously glanced out the window. "Yes."

"It's been following us. I saw it watching us at the food stand."

Shizune looked again, longer this time. "Think it's a ninken?"

"I don't know, but it's not a normal dog. I think we should get out of here."

"I agree. Let's go out the back."

They moved further into the shop, pretending to peruse the displays until they were out of the window's line of sight, then quickly slipped into the area marked EMPLOYEES ONLY and out the back entrance.

This street was busy too; people cutting through to the main thoroughfare, drunken revelers milling around, laughing loudly. No one looked suspicious, and the dog was nowhere in sight. They stayed close to the buildings until the block ended and Sakura decided to turn down the deserted, unlit alleyway.

Someone appeared out of nowhere and bumped right into her.

In a heartbeat Sakura had pulled weapons on them. In the same fractional instant they caught her wrist in a vice grip and prevented her kunai from meeting their chest.

"Excuse me," said a man's voice, deep and rich and oddly muffled.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

The man was cloaked in shadow, but she made out enough: tall, broad shouldered, dark hair. Scarf around the lower half of his face. Eyepatch. _That voice._

Except for the widening of her eyes, she hadn't moved a muscle, still held the blade pointed at his heart. Her own heart was racing.

He said, "Your reflexes are remarkably fast, Sakura. Good thing mine are faster."

Giddy on the inside but strangely calm on the outside, her lips curved in a smirk and she replied, "Look again."

He looked down, toward the faint green light beginning to pulse from her other hand—poised an inch away from his groin. She could maim him six different ways before he blinked. He exhaled carefully. "Impressive…if slightly terrifying." His visible eye sought hers, crinkling in that familiar way. "You always were my favorite."

So achingly familiar, so blessedly welcome…Sakura felt something well up within her and break free. Years of tenuous hope and mounting despair rushed out of her in a single, ecstatic breath and she threw her arms around him. "Kakashi!" She pressed her face into his scarf. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

He hugged her back just as tightly, head lowered, chin pressing into her temple. "I think I do, actually."

Shizune—who'd been further back when he appeared and recognized him sooner—came forward with a beaming smile. "Kakashi," she echoed happily. She reached out and grasped his shoulder, delightedly reaffirming his presence through contact.

He removed one arm from around Sakura to touch her in return. "Shizune. How are you? Both of you."

Sakura finally pulled back, sobering just a little. "Surviving."

"That dog is yours?" Shizune wanted to know. "I haven't seen it before."

"He's new. And apparently not very stealthy."

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked him.

Kakashi looked at her oddly for a moment, and then he smiled, though it only showed in the amused warmth of a single dark eye. "I heard there were two lovely '_maidens'_ here in need of sanctuary," he said. "I've come to lead the way."

* * *

TBC


	4. The Resistance

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Four: The Resistance

##

* * *

"Are you staying at the Hub?" Kakashi asked as they walked through the backstreets of nighttime Busan.

"For the last six months," Sakura said. "Waiting and hoping to make contact with someone."

She was so excited to see him she could barely take her eyes off him, and Kakashi found it difficult not to stare back. She was just so different than he remembered, and it wasn't the long hair, which suited her, or the auburn color—also nice, though not as flattering as her natural pink. It was that she looked older, transformed, which he found disconcerting and intriguing all at once. The last traces of that silly girl who was too insecure to really be herself were gone. In her place strode a determined young woman, radiating intelligence and hard experience he could see in the firm set of her shoulders and sharp, clear eyes.

"It's true then?" she asked him. "It does exist?"

"It exists," he confirmed. "And it's been sorely missing both of you."

"No medics?"

He looked at her. "That's one reason."

"Are we leaving in the morning?"

"I think you'll want to leave now," he said. "My camp's just outside town, and someone was so excited to hear the _Princess' Handmaidens_ were in Busan that he refused to wait and tagged along with me." He looked pointedly at Shizune.

Shizune stopped in the street and brought her hands to her lips, eyes wide and glistening. "Kakashi…" she whispered. "_Really?_"

They had to rush to keep up with her as she all but ran back to the Hub and bolted straight up the stairs. Sakura entered at a more leisurely pace, Kakashi following.

"Hey Midori," Touga greeted, still bemused by Shizune's whirlwind entrance. "I got good news, and this time it's definitely legit—"

"I know," Sakura beamed. She glanced over her shoulder just as Kakashi walked in.

Touga's eyebrows lifted, but he didn't seem to recognize the Copy Ninja in disguise. "Well there you go," he said. "Is it what you were looking for?"

"Exactly what I was looking for." She went silent a moment, like she'd lost her train of thought, but then she turned quickly to Kakashi. "I'm going to go help Shizune pack."

"I'll wait here," he said, then took a seat at the bar, giving Touga a polite nod.

Touga studied him a moment, as though trying to recognize him. "Want a drink, man?"

Kakashi declined and the bartender went back to his business, though it didn't escape his notice that the young man kept looking toward the stairwell every minute or so.

#

Sakura and Shizune cleared out their small rented room in five minutes. Sakura was excited to get going and reunite with old friends, but it was like someone had lit a fire under Shizune. She hadn't been this alive and animated in months. They hurried downstairs with their gear and Shizune headed straight for the door, casting Kakashi an impatient, expectant look on her way out.

"Can't blame her," he said affably. Then he turned to Sakura. "Ready?"

Sakura paused. "In just a minute," she said, her eyes sliding to Touga, who lingered in the kitchen doorway.

Kakashi looked slowly between her and the bartender. A moment passed before he nodded and said, "We'll be outside."

Sakura made her way over to Touga, feeling awkward. He watched her the entire way, and spared her by speaking first.

"So. You're leaving."

She didn't answer the obvious, just gave him a small, wistful smile. He returned it, edging a little closer to her.

"Will we ever meet again?"

"I don't think so," she said quietly, genuinely regretful because she did consider him a friend. "If we succeed in taking back Konoha, I'll be going home. If we don't…then I'll probably be dead."

He nodded slowly. "Make sure it's the former, okay? I'll miss you. Uncle will too. You brought some life to this place."

Sakura smiled. He was more disappointed than she'd expected he would be. She did care for Touga—as much as she could care for anyone she knew almost nothing about, who knew even less about her. Still, she would miss his easy smile and his warm eyes, for a while.

"Tell your uncle we're sorry we couldn't wait to say goodbye in person, and that we're grateful to him. And you too," she added. "Without your help we might never have found our comrades again."

He didn't seem pleased to be the one responsible for her leaving, but he grinned in is cocky, mischievous way and said, "How about a goodbye kiss?"

Sakura laughed faintly. He didn't change. She closed the distance between them, brought her hand to his chest, and briefly pressed her lips to his. "Take care of yourself."

As she backed away, he knowingly asked, "What's your real name?"

She figured there was no harm in telling him now. "Sakura."

His expression shifted to disbelief. "Wait…from Konoha…_the_ Sakura? The apprentice of the Fifth Hokage?"

"That's right."

"Of course. The Princess's Handmaidens. As in Slug Princess. Oh man." He shook his head, chuckling. "But hey, I thought Sakura of Konoha had hair like her namesake?"

"She does," she said cheekily, and dropped the illusion.

Touga stared at her, studied her pink hair but otherwise unchanged countenance. His eyes warmed with remembrance. "Wow," he said quietly.

Sakura smiled, softening as well. "Goodbye, Touga." Becoming a redhead once again, she shifted her pack higher onto her shoulder and walked out of the Hub for good.

#

Kakashi led them out of town, heading north. Sakura was full of questions and bombarded him as they walked. "Naruto?" was the first thing she was desperate to know. "Is he alive? And Sai? And Tenzou? Are they with you?"

He smiled behind his scarf. "Yes, yes, and yes."

She slowed for a moment, sagging with the release of two years' anxiety. "Who else?"

"It would take too long to name them. In fact, I don't even know them all."

She beamed. "That many?"

"Just under two hundred. Mainly jounin. Most chuunin weren't strong enough to fight against Root. They either surrendered, or they were killed. Of the ones who _did_ manage to escape…very few ever found their way to us."

Sakura and Shizune shared a look, remembering all the names they'd grimly crossed from their Bingo lists.

"It's best if you just see for yourself," he said.

Sakura wanted to press him anyway but she didn't get a chance, because they cleared the city limits and began to run.

It felt great to travel like a _ninja_ again, to feel chakra flowing through every extremity, converting into energy. It seemed like no time at all before they were slowing to a walk in one of the only stretches of forest to be found in the arid landscape between Wind and Fire. The trees were tall but scraggly, the underbrush mostly scrub. It was hardly worth calling a forest in the eyes of Leaf shinobi who'd spent their lives among lush, verdant moss and ferns, and monolithic trees standing sentinel in woodlands so ancient they stretched hundreds of miles and echoed whispers of eternity. But it was cover, and they were glad for it.

Kakashi stopped, signaling they had reached where they were going. He looked around for a moment, searching the black treetops, and gave a short, three-note birdwhistle. There was a faint rustling, inconspicuous enough to be a small animal, and then the dark shape of a man appeared from behind one of the trees.

Shizune was already moving, dropping her pack and flying to the man who rushed forward to meet her with arms open. They collided like two magnets snapping together, arms locking around each other. Shizune's sobs were muffled by her face in his neck, and Shiranui Genma murmured soothing, broken words into her hair. They remained that way for a long time, completely oblivious to everything else.

Kakashi remembered what a wreck Genma had been when they first learned about Konoha's fall. He'd been wracked with anxiety, unable to sleep for fear that Shizune might be dead. It was hard to keep him from going back on his own, especially when Kakashi wanted nothing more than to do the same. Kakashi had known them over half his life, and knew their story: longtime teammates, together for years starting as young teens, painfully breaking up when she left Konoha with Tsunade, and getting back together for good a few months after she returned. Being separated like they had, apart for so many years, this time without knowing if the other was alive or dead…it must have been torture for them.

He looked at Sakura and they both smiled uncertainly, slightly uncomfortable witnessing such raw emotion and intimacy between their friends, but at the same time happy for them. They waited patiently without speaking for the reunited lovers to come back to the world.

Eventually they did, and still holding each other, they came over. Shizune rarely displayed such vulnerability and looked slightly embarrassed, but mostly joyous. Genma was predictably shameless. He smiled warmly at Sakura and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Sakura. It's good to see you again."

She returned his smile. "You too, Genma."

Kakashi made a small fire and they had a light dinner of cup ramen. It was so nostalgic that Sakura found herself getting upset if she thought too much about it. She couldn't wait for the moment when she was reunited with the rest of her teammates.

"How did you find us so quickly?" she wanted to know. "We only put the word out two days ago."

"We were a day's journey away, doing some recon," Kakashi explained. "When someone at the Hub contacted one of our contacts, _he_ contacted Naruto using one of the toads kept on hand for situations like this. Naruto contacted me and we came as fast as we could. I'm sure he would have come himself if he was able."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"Three days."

"Where is it? What's it like?"

He chuckled at her unrelenting curiosity. "It's somewhere Danzou would never think to look for us. And again, it will be better if you see for yourself."

Sakura sighed, annoyed again at having to wait. But what really mattered was that she had found her friends again. "So," she said, "what happened to you?"

Kakashi and Genma exchanged glances, but Genma was busy holding Shizune's hand and staring at her, and wasn't inclined to answer. "We were on an S-class mission with Tenzou and Raidou," Kakashi said. "We still don't know how they found us, but Danzou sent two full platoons. He definitely wanted to make sure we were dead."

"You," Genma interjected. "He wanted to make sure _you_ were dead, Almost-Hokage-sama."

There was no rancor or accusation in Genma's tone, but Kakashi still looked as if he felt guilty about it. "Well, I might be getting old, but it will take more than a few brainwashed punks to take me out."

Genma snorted amusedly. "If you're old what does that make me?"

Sakura smiled faintly. Every once in a while, over the years, Kakashi would reveal a tiny glimpse of well-concealed arrogance. But no one could say it wasn't merited; he was a legend for a reason. She dismissively told him, "You're not old," then turned and smirked at Genma. "_You,_ on the other hand…"

They all laughed a little. Genma seemed to want to talk now, and finished the story. "Anyway, we took them out with only a few minor injuries. We knew something bad had obviously happened so we headed straight back, but we met up with Naruto's group on the way and they explained everything."

"Protecting Naruto became the number-one priority," Kakashi said. He pulled off his eyepatch and tiredly rubbed at his Sharingan eye. With his scar and mismatched eyes revealed, he looked much more like himself. "We decided it would be best to go into hiding for a while. We never saw what happened to Konoha."

"You wouldn't want to," Sakura said. "Trust me."

They fell silent for a moment, remembering or imagining the devastation of their home. Kakashi was watching Sakura closely. "What happened with you?" he asked her.

She told them, starting from the moment Ino pulled her out of bed, confused and alarmed; their flight through the burning streets and their last stand in the woods where Ino fell; fighting until what she thought was her last breath, then waking in the interrogation room; the conversation with Danzou and his plans to turn them into his brainwashed slaves.

Shizune couldn't tell her side of the story; in fact it was too much for her to even hear Sakura tell it. She got up and walked off into the woods. Concerned and supportive, Genma quietly followed her. They wouldn't be back for some time.

Sobered by Shizune's still-raw reaction, Sakura quietly finished the story with their escape from Konoha, their struggle for survival as fugitives, and their desperate search for other survivors. Afterward they sat without speaking, staring into the crackling fire.

When she looked up she found Kakashi watching her again. He looked so different in disguise, yet still the same somehow. He wore nondescript shinobi garb: dark flexible pants and what looked like a type of ANBU boots, a belted gi with three-quarter sleeves revealing armguards and a mesh undershirt. His mask was still present but mostly concealed by a thin linen scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. He was heavily armed, including a ninjato at his back. Genma was dressed similarly. They looked something like the shinobi out of the old storybooks.

"I missed you," she said quietly. "All of you." She was thinking about the last time she saw him, in his tiny apartment during that torrential rainstorm, only a few days before Konoha fell. His eyes warmed fondly and he smiled a little before looking away. Was he remembering it too?

"We didn't go into hiding right away," he said, looking off into the darkness. "We searched for you first. For days we tried to find you, to at least find out if you escaped. But the bad weather prevented my dogs from picking up your trail. You'd just vanished, which I'm sure is what you were trying to do. It was too dangerous for Naruto to stay out in the open, and we had to give up. We all thought you were dead." He cleared his throat softly. "It was…difficult."

Sakura stared at him, unable to identify what she felt. How do you comfort someone who has already mourned your death? She couldn't fully absorb the depth of what he was telling her. She wanted to hug him, but didn't know if that was the right thing to do. "But I'm not dead. I'm here with you now," she said softly.

Kakashi looked up at her and smiled again. "Right."

She decided it was time to change the subject before they both got depressed. "So…what was your mission? The reason you were out of the village."

Kakashi briefly debated whether to tell her or not. He sighed and slumped a little, as if preparing for something unpleasant. Like her wrath. "Our mission was to find and eliminate Sasuke." He waited for it, but the cataclysmic force of an angry Sakura never came. She just stared at him— very, very intently. He proceeded with caution.

"When Tsunade woke from her coma, the council was only moments away from naming me Hokage. I was there when they met with her and brought her up to speed on all that had happened. When they finished, I reported everything I knew regarding Madara and Sasuke, including our last encounter." He studied her for signs of anger or upset, but her face was like stone. "She ordered me, then and there, to form a strong team of people I trusted who weren't too close to the situation. She said she was sick of Sasuke hurting the people she loved, and he was too much of a threat to ignore any longer." He held her gaze. "To be completely honest, I agreed with her. Enough was enough. She ordered me not to tell you or Naruto because you would try to follow us."

It was certainly not what she'd been expecting—which was light and easy conversation. He was right, though. She would have followed them. Just like he'd followed her. Sakura couldn't pretend to be outraged when she'd tried to kill Sasuke herself. Tried and failed, because she was too compassionate for her own good. Sasuke had used her sentimental heart against her and nearly killed her in turn. He didn't hesitate. Had _never_ hesitated. Had never cared. She should be angry that this information was kept from her, but she just couldn't be this time. Enough was enough.

Stiff with tension, she asked, "Did you succeed?"

"No. We turned back after we were attacked by Root."

"You know he's missing?"

"Yes. I don't know anything about it."

Sakura regarded him steadily. "I wish you'd found him."

Kakashi couldn't think of anything to say. It was unlike her to be so hardened. It was more like him. More like Tsunade. At first he'd thought she was altered by life as a fugitive, but it was more than that. He wondered what had happened to change her so much in the past two years—or if it had started even before that.

* * *

They traveled for three more days, first heading north, then east. The weather remained hot but the topography changed drastically; dry grass plains and scrub grew greener and lusher. Trees appeared first in groves and then forests. Water sources swelled from pebbly creeks to wide, cool rivers. Animals and birds were familiar again. On the second day they crossed the border.

"We're going back into Fire country?" Sakura said, her incredulous tone demanding explanation.

"I said it was the last place we'd be expected to hide," Kakashi said simply.

"Right under Danzou's nose," Genma echoed.

"How much farther?" Shizune asked him. They were moving into higher terrain now, passing into the forested foothills.

"Tomorrow afternoon," he said.

That night they camped in the forest, and by unspoken mutual agreement they kept their conversations from getting too heavy. Admittedly that meant they were mostly quiet. There wasn't much they could talk about that didn't remind them of the situation they were in and why. The next day they slept in until midmorning and had breakfast before setting out again.

The forest grew thicker as they moved further in, toward its heart. When Sakura asked, Kakashi confirmed that they were nearing the Waterfall border. The canopy was so thick in places the sun didn't fully penetrate to the forest floor, which was covered with a thick, spongy carpet of moss. The temperature cooled by several degrees, though the lack of scorching sun was replaced by humidity. It was a completely different world than the brown, arid land Sakura and Shizune had been living in for half a year; they much preferred this one.

At a seemingly random point, Kakashi dropped his henge, and told Sakura it was safe for her to do so as well. She figured that meant they were getting close. That, and the invisible eyes she felt on them from the moment they'd crossed a stream a half mile back. She couldn't see any signs of human habitat yet, but knew they had reached the home of the resistance.

"The sentries have probably radioed ahead," Kakashi told them in a low voice; the dense wooded wilderness just made people instinctively want to be quiet. "Don't be surprised if there's a big welcome party."

And there it was: a wall of brambles, vines and ivy rising a dozen feet and spreading out in a vaguely circular arc. It was a masterfully camouflaged perimeter fence, so well made and so natural that it could only be the work of Tenzou. Sakura could only just now make it out in the dusky light, when they were only a few hundred feet away—well within an archer's range. As they got closer she spotted the two front watchtowers; wooden platforms hidden behind the brambles, where the guards could fire through the gaps. In between them there was a six foot wide break in the thorn wall, and that was where they went.

No sooner had they passed through the vine-strewn gate than their welcome party set upon them. An achingly familiar voice shouted her name, a flash of yellow darted out from one of the buildings, and then Sakura was seized, lifted, and spun by a pair of strong arms.

"Naruto!" she squealed breathlessly, holding on tight as he continued to swing her and crush her in a bear hug. He was so tall he was lifting her off her feet! She made him set her down so she could look at him, though it was kind of hard when her eyes were brimming with happy tears. He'd grown so much she wouldn't have recognized him from behind; he stood almost eye-to-eye with Kakashi. There wasn't a single stitch of orange on him; he wore the same dark and muted shades as Kakashi and Genma. Only his tanned, Kyuubi-marked face and piercing blue eyes were familiar, though even his face had changed a little. He'd become so handsome…and he looked so much like the Fourth Hokage it was almost creepy.

"Gods, Sakura…we thought…" he said thickly, his eyes glistening. His hands remained on her shoulders.

"I'm here," she said tremulously, touching his cheek. "I'm so glad to see you." A dark haired man ran up to them, and she pulled away from Naruto to embrace him tightly. "Sai!"

He was taller too, and she didn't think to be astonished that he hugged her back easily. "Sakura," he said to the top of her head, "I never thought I'd be so happy to see your ugly face."

His tone was teasing and she laughed with nostalgic mirth. And then Tenzou came up to them and she hugged him as well, much to his surprise. They hadn't had a hugging sort of relationship before, but she was too happy to care.

People were trickling out from all directions to welcome them: Shikamaru and Tenten and Lee and Kiba, Izumo and Kotetsu. So many familiar faces, though most she knew only in passing, and many others she didn't recognize. Shizune hugged Raidou with the same joyful enthusiasm as Sakura had hugged her own teammates, and then Kurenai and her daughter, then Kiba's sister Hana and even Anko. Everyone was glad to see them—two highly skilled medics, the Godaime's apprentices, and to some, treasured friends. It was the happiest the wandering kunoichi had been in a long time.

Naruto took Sakura back from the others, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Come on," he said, grinning. "I'll show you around."

The compound was constructed in the fashion of a typical ANBU camp, only much bigger. Tenzou had worked his unique ability to its limits. There was a guard house just inside the gate, a central meeting hall, a mess and kitchen—with a strange contraption over the chimneys that diffused smoke to keep it from emitting a plume that could be seen from a distance. There was a bathhouse, a cleared area for training and sparring, several rows of barracks, and even a small rec-room with a pool table that had sprung straight out of the ground. All of the buildings were made of living wood, and brilliantly camouflaged with naturally growing moss, vines, ivy netting, and even a few branches growing out of them.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" Naruto said, grinning. "It's like a kid's tree fort times a hundred. If we didn't have Tenzou we would've had to build it all by hand."

"It's amazing," Sakura agreed, still looking around in wonderment.

There were many here who had experience operating large, mobile units in the field, and the compound was so well organized there was even a quartermaster's office inside the first barracks. Naruto made arrangements for their quarters in an easy authoritative manner that was almost mesmerizing to Sakura—and Shizune too, by the strange way she looked at him. He was clearly the leader around here, and everyone obeyed him with an amiable respect.

As he led them down the dimly lit hall to their rooms at the back of the building, he said over his shoulder, "As of now you're the new chief medical officers. And we've got lots of nasty scars and wounds for you to deal with, too."

"You mean there's no one here who can treat injuries? Not even basic triage?" Shizune asked incredulously.

"Oh there is," Naruto replied flatly, his expression souring. "But unless it's an emergency most people would rather slap a bandage on themselves than deal with her."

Sakura and Shizune looked at each other questioningly, wondering who it could be, and if it was incompetence or personality that made this person unpopular.

Their quarters were the very definition of no-frills: a ten-by-ten square with a low flat shelf on one side which would be a bed once a futon was laid on it. That was it. No other furniture, not even a dresser. The tiny shuttered window was little more than a means of ventilation, because they didn't have the ability to make glass and an open hole in the wall in the forest in summer was just asking for all sorts of unpleasant insect and reptile related incidents.

The compound had access to electricity from a generator, Naruto explained, but it was only used in the communal buildings. Lighting in the barracks came from lanterns in the halls and rooms. Sakura recalled that most of the outdoor areas were lit by lantern as well, in order to cut the brightness and conceal their presence.

After they dropped off their belongings and linens, Naruto asked if they wanted dinner. Wanting to spend some time alone together, Shizune and Genma declined. Sakura went with Naruto and Kakashi back toward the central complex. Sai met up with them on the way, and the reunited team made their way to the mess hall. The many rows of tables and benches were mostly empty. Only a dozen or so shinobi sat around in small groups, chatting and eating.

Dinner was a simple fare of vegetables and a little chicken over rice. There was soup as well, but no one touched it; the evening was still too hot. The four of them sat at one of the empty tables, and Naruto immediately demanded Sakura tell them everything that had happened with her since the night Konoha fell.

She retold it for them, and realized she'd talked about that night more in the past few days than she had in two years. Maybe she could have talked about it with Shizune, but the shared loss of their master made it all the more painful. It was hard at first, when Kakashi had first asked her, but it was easier now. It felt good to get it out, to share it with people who understood. When she finished, Naruto told their story.

After meeting up with Kakashi's group, Naruto had wanted to go to Suna and seek help from the Kazekage. But they couldn't ask Hidden Sand for help, because they were in an alliance with Konoha, and Danzou's position as Hokage was sanctioned by the Fire Daimyo. Meaning it was sanctioned by the other nations' Daimyo as well. If Gaara were to help them he would have broken the treaty _and_ started a civil war with his Daimyo. The great unprecedented shinobi alliance had tied everyone's hands. Danzou had planned for everything.

So they laid low for a while, but after a couple months it was decided that Naruto should finish his Sage training, which had been interrupted with Akatsuki's attack on Konoha and the disastrous last attempt to confront Sasuke. Knowing it was for the best because he needed to be as strong as possible to take back Konoha, he returned to the toads at Mt. Myoboku. Kakashi led the small band of fugitives for several months, finding other survivors and gathering them together. They had kept in regular communication through their summons.

"I finished my training eight months ago," Naruto concluded. "Kakashi and Tenzou set up this place while I was gone."

The teammates talked for a while longer, happy to be back together again, but eventually Kakashi and Sai both had to attend to other duties, and promising to see her later, left Sakura and Naruto at the table.

The mood slowly and very noticeably grew awkward once they were alone, the unspoken hanging between them like an invisible chain. The last time they saw each other had been embarrassing, angering, and a whole host of other unpleasant things.

Sakura picked at a few grains of rice at the bottom of her bowl, pretending to be casual and not hyper-aware of the tension. Things were weird between them and she didn't know what to do about it, but it wasn't important in the face of larger matters and she really didn't want to bring it up. Naruto kept looking at her as if waiting for her to speak and then looking away.

Unable to take it any longer, he sighed and finally confronted the issue. "Look," he said, turning to her. "We just got you back, and I don't want this weirdness to hang between us, so let's just get it out of the way."

Sakura reluctantly faced him. For her part, she'd fully intended to never speak of it again, but he obviously didn't share her outlook. Maybe he was right: they couldn't avoid it forever, and it was better to deal with it now than let it fester between them. "Okay," she said, leaving it for him to go first.

Predictably candid, he came right out with it. "I know what I said back then, but I don't regret what happened," he said. "We were hurting and we took comfort in each other. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. If things were different—" He paused, smiled gently. "You're my closest friend, Sakura, and I'll always…care for you."

Sakura wondered when he'd become so mature…and when he'd learned words like 'inherently.' "I know," she said quietly. "I feel the same. I just don't want…." She met his gaze. "Can things ever be the same between us?"

"No," he said, but he was grinning, "they can be better."

His optimism was always infectious, and she found herself smiling too. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. Hugging her tightly around the shoulders, he pressed a kiss to her hairline that no one could see. Sakura closed her eyes tight to keep them from watering. It was so complicated. She did love him—and knew from his pause that he loved her too. But it was the wrong kind of love. She did care for him as more than a friend, but it wasn't enough. Any relationship they had would never be more than lukewarm, and that wasn't fair to either of them.

Facing the uncomfortable issue had been a lot simpler than Sakura thought it would be. Maybe it was because they were in public, but maybe they really were just too close to let bad things stay between them for long.

They were still smiling when they parted, and Naruto took her hands. "I'm so glad you're finally here with us, Sakura-chan. None of this felt right without you."

Sakura barely detected the hint of sadness in his eyes—the lingering trace of grief from believing she was dead, which was rapidly vanishing in the reality of her presence. It surprised her that he was better at concealing it than Kakashi had been. She smiled brightly for him. "Me too," she said. "We tried so hard to find you. To find _anyone_. I guess we shouldn't have been so vague about our identities, but we were afraid we might be exposed to the wrong people."

"You're here now, that's what matters." His expression hardened into one she knew well: unbreakable determination. "We've been building our forces for two years, and we're almost ready. The day we take back Konoha is coming very soon."

Sakura nodded in fierce agreement. Now that she was here, safe from the uncertainty of a fugitive life, reunited with her friends and comrades, she finally believed it.

* * *

TBC


	5. A Kunoichi's Best Weapon

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Five: A Kunoichi's Best Weapon

##

* * *

Hinata was trying her very best to be invisible. Not literally, but invisible in the sense that if she made no noise and moved as little as possible, no one would notice her. Having done this on some level for most of her life, she was pretty good at it by now. But only recently had this skill shifted from a characteristic of extreme shyness to a necessary tactic of daily life.

Because sometimes, like when she was smuggling copies of classified documents out of the Hokage's office, her life depended on her ability to be overlooked.

She wasn't performing acts of espionage and treason now—someone else was. The insurgents were growing increasingly bold in their disruptiveness, and Danzou was growing increasingly agitated in his inability to identify and catch them. Hinata heard and saw a lot of things as the Hokage's unobtrusive, dissembling assistant. Most of the time Danzou and his associates—which included her father—ignored her like they would a piece of furniture, which was turning out to be very useful.

"He insisted he had nothing to do with the explosion at the prison," one of the Root captains was saying.

"Do you believe him?" Danzou asked without looking up from the report.

"No sir. He owns the only shop in the village that carries raw sulfur, which they used to make black powder. Since he didn't report any theft to authorities or in his own records, he most certainly gave it to them. He denies this and refuses to reveal the identity of the buyer. Even if he's not part of the insurgency, he is knowingly helping them."

"That makes him part of it, does it not?"

"Of course, sir."

"And what of the prisoners who escaped?"

Despite their concealing masks, the agents still managed to look uncomfortable. The one who spoke before said, "We know the identities of the three who escaped, but nothing else yet, Hokage-sama. Shall I question the shopkeeper more thoroughly?"

Danzou finally looked up, his expression bored, as if they weren't talking about torturing a civilian. "No, give him to Yamanaka."

Hinata smiled inwardly. She was certain Konoha's chief interrogator was part of the insurgency. After all, one of his best friends and his only child had been killed by Root agents the night Danzou took power. They would get nothing but false reports from him.

"The shopkeeper's assets are to be frozen, and I want you to confiscate his financial records from the last six months," Danzou continued. He looked to the other captain. "Take your team and seize all potentially dangerous materials from village businesses. For that matter, do a residential sweep as well. Report all suspicious possession or activity." His gaze hardened. "Find those prisoners."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the captains replied in unison.

"Dismissed."

They vanished.

Hinata continued working very quietly, concerned now that the agents were gone Danzou might take notice of her. She was currently looking through a pile of mission requests, sorting out the ones which offered the highest fee. The rest she was to throw away. It angered her, because Konoha was desperately in need of money. So were the genin and chuunin who couldn't do A- and B-ranked missions. Danzou's elitism had left the majority of Konoha shinobi struggling to make ends meet.

After several minutes of silence, Danzou rose from his desk and came her way, but to her relief he passed by and left the office without looking at her. It briefly occurred to her that she could take advantage of his arrogant disregard to poison his tea or coat his ridiculously expensive pens with arsenic. But the thought flew out of her head when she opened a mission request that wasn't a mission at all.

Disguised in a scroll coded as D-rank—a scroll Danzou would never deign to open—was a pictogram.

The first image was of a sun, followed by a bird flying free of its cage while carrying a scroll. Next was a Byakugan eye, looking toward a tree with breasts beneath a half moon. The final image was a flare of fireworks. Hinata's heart raced as she interpreted the images.

It was a message from Hanabi.

Hinata (the sun) was to contact her sister (the fireworks) via Byakugan two nights from now. A true smile lit her face for the first time in months. It immediately vanished again when the door opened and Danzou returned. Fingers trembling, she nonchalantly rolled up the scroll and set it in the trash pile with the other D-ranked requests.

Danzou paused beside her. "Anything of worth?"

"A few, Hokage-sama," she answered meekly. She held out two A-ranked requests and one B-ranked.

He continued on without taking them. "Put them on my desk before you leave."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

The next hour was excruciating. Hinata read through the remaining scrolls in a distracted rush, and at the end of the day she left the lucrative requests on the Hokage's desk and took the rest in a box to the trash behind the building. Making sure no one saw her, she pocketed the pictogram and burned it as soon as she got home.

* * *

Two unbearably long days later, she climbed onto the roof of the manor house as soon as the sun set. Folding her legs and pretending to meditate, she faced east and activated her Byakugan. It took several minutes to find what she was looking for: a tree with two large symmetrical gnarls on one side of its trunk.

When she was nine or ten, and Hanabi seven—when they still played together—they found this particular tree in the woods two kilometers east of the Hyuuga compound. Hanabi had insisted the tree looked like it had breasts. Hinata was too embarrassed by the idea to acknowledge it, and was slightly appalled at her very young sister for making the suggestion. Now she smiled; it really did look that way.

Hinata waited. The moon rose in the darkening sky, exactly half-full tonight. An hour passed. Then two. She grew anxious, her stomach twisting in knots. But two kilometers was nothing for her, and her bloodline limit never wavered.

At around ten a dark shape came into sight at the edge of her vision field and flitted through the trees, coming to a stop at the base of the deformed tree. It was Hanabi. Her Bykaugan was already active, no doubt on the lookout for patrols. She was dangerously close to Konoha, and the risk was exceptionally high. She faced west, eyes searching. After a few moments they locked with Hinata's across the vast distance, and she broke into a grin.

Hinata couldn't smile back, though it was extremely difficult not to. Her heart soared as her sister waved, and she returned the greeting with a discreet nod. Hanabi removed her pack and knelt down to rummage inside. She removed what looked like a sketch pad and a black marker, and began to write. Then she turned it around and held it up for Hinata to read.

_I'm so glad to see you! Are you alright?_

Hinata gave another faint nod. She wished she could respond with questions of her own, but that wasn't possible. This was going to be a one-sided conversation. Hanabi flipped the page and wrote again.

_Found them a month ago, by pure luck. So many! HE is the leader! _

Hinata couldn't help her smile then, but quickly brought her expression under control. She knew Naruto was alive only because Danzou hadn't gloated about killing him yet. But to really _know_ he was safe, and that he was leading the resistance and that they were thriving…it was a tremendous relief.

_So much I want to tell you, but can't stay long. I have questions._

Hinata nodded once in acknowledgement. For every question Hanabi flipped a new page.

_Does Danzou know there's a resistance force outside Konoha?_

She shook her head. Hanabi smiled in satisfaction.

_Does he have any idea of Naruto's whereabouts? Or Kakashi's?_

So Kakashi—Danzou's second biggest threat—was with the resistance too. Good. She shook her head again.

_How bad is it there?_

Hinata frowned, her negative reply weighted with loathing. Hanabi scowled.

_Is there any kind of insurgency within Konoha?_

She nodded.

_Have you contacted them?_

She paused before shaking her head, ashamed of her lack of action.

Hanabi went to write again, but suddenly snapped her head around and positioned herself to flee. Hinata quickly scanned the woods, illuminated bluish-white by her Byakugan, for any danger approaching her sister. It turned out to only be a badger moving through the underbrush about ten meters to her left.

Hanabi relaxed when she saw it too. She looked back at what she'd been writing, decided not to continue, and flipped the page. Though it was only an animal, she was spooked. She'd stayed as long as she could. The next message was her last.

_Must go. Will contact again ASAP. Try to meet Konoha rebels. BE CAREFUL! _

Hinata nodded a final time, watching as her sister gathered the papers together and poured some kind of liquid over them. They dissolved in a curl of smoke. Hanabi shouldered her pack, waved, and sped away through the dark.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and tried not to be sad about the too-short reunion. There was too much to be happy about. She stood slowly, stretching her cramped legs after hours of sitting motionless, and dropped from the roof into the inner garden.

Her father was walking across the veranda.

Hiashi frowned at her; curious, disapproving, suspicious…she couldn't tell. "What were you doing?" he demanded.

Hinata straightened up and walked toward him, her heart pounding though she knew she hadn't given herself away. "I was training my Byakugan," she said calmly.

He regarded her, appraising. "How far can you see now?"

"Um, almost six kilometers," she lied. It was over nine.

His frown deepened in disappointment. "Not nearly as good as Neji," he said coolly. "However, it is an improvement from before. It is good that you are finally taking your training seriously."

Actually, Neji could only see eight. Her cousin may be the better fighter, but she definitely had better eyes. She'd been taking her training seriously for years. Hiashi just didn't know it.

He studied her a moment longer, and faintly sighed. "I always believed your sister would surpass you, but she turned out to be…more than disappointing. Continue to improve, and perhaps someday you will be deserving of our noble name."

Hinata wanted to laugh. There was hardly any honor or nobility in the Hyuuga name these days. As for improving and surpassing…there was a lot about her that Hiashi wasn't aware of. She looked at the ground to hide what might be in her eyes. "I try my best," she said demurely. "Goodnight, father."

Hiashi continued on his way, and Hinata allowed herself a secret, satisfied smile. Her father and everyone else expected so little of her that it was practically impossible for anyone to think her capable of what she was doing. She would continue to use that to her advantage, especially now that she was finally in contact with the resistance.

And one day, she would use the skills no one thought she had to help take back Konoha. Even if she had to fight against her own clan to do so.

She ended up lying awake half the night, too excited to sleep.

* * *

"What the hell is _this_?" Sakura gingerly held up the object she'd just found between her thumb and forefinger with utter disgust.

Shizune turned from the wooden crate she was sorting through and frowned incredulously. "What the—is that a _dirty_ bandage?" Her mouth fell open in outrage. "Mixed in with the _clean_ bandages!?"

Sakura didn't confirm what was plainly obvious, she just threw it across the room into the trash with an aggravated huff. The unused bandages that were touching the dirty one were now contaminated and she threw them away as well, grumbling under her breath about the waste of precious supplies.

"What the hell has been going on around here?" Shizune muttered, turning back to her task with a shake of her head.

"We probably don't want to know," Sakura answered before doing the same.

The field hospital in the rebel camp was about as bare-bones as it could get and still legitimately be called a medical facility. A standalone building tucked behind the mess hall, the entire clinic was only the size of one of the smaller operating rooms in Konoha Hospital. There were three cots with no privacy curtains, a wall of shelves lined with unorganized crates and bins of supplies, a locking cabinet for medicines, a single set of surgical tools, one rolling table, and a cramped attached water closet.

But the size wasn't really a problem, and it was actually pretty impressive that the rebels had managed to acquire as much as they had, given their clandestine circumstances and that fact that medical supplies were extremely difficult to purchase without drawing attention. Maybe they were stolen, but that really didn't matter either.

What bothered the highly trained and meticulous medics—appalled them, really—was what had passed for medical care around here before they arrived. Even without _any_ professionals on hand the shinobi in this camp, especially the jounin—which most of them were—knew how to handle medical supplies and treatment better than this. Was this what the ANBU camps were like? Sakura and Shizune both had half a mind to protest and refuse to treat _any_ of them. Unfortunately their professional ethics would never let them actually go through with it.

The clinic door opened, and they turned to see Genma walk in. Shizune smiled in a way she only did for him.

"There you are," he said, coming to lean against the shelving next to her.

"Where else would I be?" She faced him, but still continued to sort through the bin.

"Tell me about it," he muttered, and gently grabbed her arm to stop her. He inched a little closer and quietly said, "You're working too hard. Again." Out of courtesy he glanced over at Sakura and gave her a quick, easy smile. "Hey, Sakura."

She smiled back. "Hey." Though Genma looked almost nothing like Touga in the literal sense, there was an undeniable similarity between them somehow, and for a brief moment she missed her charming roguish friend. Though admittedly she hadn't thought about him much since the night she left Busan.

"There's a lot of work to be done," Shizune said.

"Not as much as you think." He took the stir-stick out of his mouth and flicked it with perfect accuracy into the trash across the room. "Take a break for a while. Both of you. No one's dying right this minute."

Sakura was a trusted friend, so Genma gave up all pretense of professional bearing and slipped his arms around Shizune, bending his head to nuzzle her neck. Sakura politely went back to what she was doing, but she couldn't help listening and watching just a little. They were cute, and the idea of them as a couple was too new for her to be blasé about.

"That's not the point." Shizune tried to ignore his attentions, though her hands grasped his shoulders in a decidedly receptive manner. "If someone _was_ dying, if they were carried in here right this minute, we'd be completely unprepared—"

She was cut off by Genma's mouth on hers. She made a muffled sound of almost-protest, but then her arms slipped around his neck and she returned the kiss.

This time Sakura did look away completely, because the kiss was neither brief nor chaste. She shook her head faintly and smiled to herself.

Eventually they broke apart, and Genma said, "You know that's not true. I distinctly remember you saving my life, and Raidou's too, while we were all lying in the mud out in the middle of nowhere." Shizune pressed her forehead to his, and they shared a secret smile.

Sakura recalled Shizune telling her that that incident—when her team was critically injured by the freakish Sound nin who escorted Sasuke to Orochimaru—was the moment she'd realized she couldn't keep pretending she wasn't still in love with her childhood sweetheart. They'd gotten back together while Genma was still in the hospital.

Genma looked pointedly around the small clinic. "This is a luxury compared to conditions I know you've both worked under before. You're both amazing, brilliant medics. Stop stressing so much."

Both women smiled appreciatively. Genma gathered Shizune into his arms again, and with a devilish smile began murmuring undoubtedly naughty things in her ear. Shizune blushed, smiled, and actually _giggled_, which Sakura had never heard her do before. Finally she nodded. "Alright," she sighed.

Genma smirked triumphantly. "Sorry, Sakura," he said, catching her gaze, "but I haven't seen the woman I love in two years and I intend to monopolize her."

"You don't mind?" Shizune asked her. She seemed a little embarrassed by the intimacy she'd displayed in semi-public, but she was too happy to really care.

"Go on," Sakura said, waving them off. She was glad to see her friend like this after the depression she'd been in for so long, and didn't mind finishing up by herself.

They left, and Sakura took over where Shizune left off sorting through the mess of crates and bins. After about an hour the door slid open again and to her pleasant surprise, Sai entered.

"Hey," she said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing." He gave her a small smile. "And I've been having a problem with my back. Are you busy?"

"Not really." She set the crate on the floor and brushed her hands off on her shorts. "Sit." He sat down on one the cot nearest the door, and she moved to stand behind him. "Where's the problem?" she asked him.

"Between my left shoulder blade and my spine," he said, rotating his shoulder carefully.

Sakura ran her fingers over that general area, but couldn't feel anything through his clothes. "Take these off," she told him, tugging on his jacket and the shirt underneath.

He glanced up at her over his shoulder. "Don't try to take advantage of me."

"Ha," she laughed dryly, and swatted the back of his head. Sai just smiled, and stripped to the waist as instructed.

The longer he was away from Danzou and Root, the more natural his speech and mannerisms had become, the more he understood people without having to study and analyze them. After four years with Team Kakashi, two of those years being completely cut off, body and mind, from the organization that literally brainwashed him as a kid, Sai's true personality had eventually emerged.

Sakura hadn't been around him in a long time, though, and it was a little strange for her to see him so…normal. But he was still peculiar enough to be the Sai she knew and loved as a brother. Even if he did have a very odd sense of humor.

She laid her hand on his bare back and sent a little chakra under his skin, feeling around for the damage. After only a few seconds she found it, and pushed on the spot with her fingertips. Sai remained almost impassive, squinting only slightly. "You've pulled a muscle here," she told him, "but you probably already knew that. How long has it been hurting?"

Sai shrugged. "A couple months."

Sakura _tsked_ and pressed harder into the sore spot in reprimand. "It would have healed by now if you'd let it."

"I can't just lay around for a week. I have duties like everyone else."

"An injured soldier is an ineffective one," she said, reciting the old Academy adage. Even if Sai hadn't actually received his training at the Academy, she knew he knew better. Root had probably drilled even stricter dictums into him…something along the lines of broken tools being fit only for disposal or some such militaristic nonsense.

Male ninja were notorious for neglecting their own wellbeing anyway. The evidence of that was all around her. Though irritated, Sakura wasn't angry, and her touch was gentle again as she began to massage his shoulder blade area, adding a little chakra to loosen him up.

"Why didn't you come to me earlier?"

"You were already overloaded. I didn't want to add to it."

"You're my teammate, Sai. You get priority over everything but emergencies, and there were none."

"Prioritizing certain people for personal reasons isn't very professional." There was no judgment in his tone, he was just pointing out a fact. He did that a lot. Sometimes it was annoying, but not now.

"Professionalism only matters to an extent," she replied. "Friends always come first. You know that as well as I do."

He didn't need to answer. They both knew he wouldn't be here right now if he hadn't turned his back on duty for the sake of friendship.

Sai was stoic and still as she continued working the knots out of his back and healed the damaged muscle, but he did eventually close his eyes, so Sakura knew what she did felt good on top of the pain. The healing didn't take long, and as the glow in her hands ceased, she said, "There. See if that's better."

Sai rotated his arm carefully once, and finding no pain, did it again more fully. He turned to her and smiled, but his smile faded when he saw the concerned frown on her face. "What?"

Sakura was staring at the long, uneven scar running down his side from just under his armpit to the bottom of his ribcage. "How did you get that?" she asked him. She hadn't seen it until he fully lifted his arm, otherwise she would have tended to it first.

He didn't have to look to know what she meant. "While we were fighting to escape Konoha," he said. "I stitched it myself when it was safe enough to stop."

"I can tell," Sakura murmured. It was an ugly, puckered ridge of discolored tissue, on either side of which was a dotted line of stitching scars. She held his arm up with one hand and brushed her fingertips along the line with the other. He twitched a little; the tissue was still sensitive even now. "What did you use?"

"Garroting wire."

Sakura made a small sound of sympathy pain. That had to have been almost as bad as being wounded in the first place, maybe more so without the adrenaline to dull the pain.

"It was all I had," he added.

"I know," she said quietly. All shinobi were issued aid kits containing things like bandages, tourniquets, and suture tools, but it wasn't like he'd had a chance to pack his gear before fleeing for his life. "Let me see what I can do now. Hold your arm up for me." Sai held his arm over his head, and Sakura sat beside him on the cot and placed both hands over the scar, letting her chakra ease into the badly healed wound. It was two years old now and too late to ever fully heal, but she'd do what she could.

If the blade had pierced instead of sliced his lung would have collapsed, he wouldn't have been able to run…he would have died that night. Seeing the evidence of such a serious injury on someone she cared deeply about, knowing what pain he must have gone through because of it, she couldn't help but feel pointlessly guilty. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you," she said softly.

Sai shook his head. "It's not your fault. Sakura…we thought you got out. If we'd known what happened to you, we would have—"

"You would have still left while you had the chance," she finished calmly. "Getting Naruto out was more important. His survival is more important."

"To Konoha, yes." He held her gaze. "But not to Naruto, or to me, or to Kakashi. It was really hard for us to give up searching for you."

Though it didn't change what actually happened, and they'd all done what they knew to be right, it made her glad to know they regretted some of the choices they made that night as much as she did. Sakura gave him a faint smile. "Well we're all here aren't we?" Most couldn't say the same; her team was very fortunate in that. "And I made it out intact, which is more than you can say."

Sai smiled at her tease, and she patted his side. "All done." She'd managed to reduce the scar from an angry red ridge to a thin, mostly flat pink line that would fade to white in time.

"Thanks." He looked down at the result, visibly pleased, and then he stood and pulled on his shirt. "Have you eaten lunch yet?" he asked her. "Or anything at all today?"

Her teammates knew her too well. "No, but I still haven't finished organizing this place after the mess you guys have made of it." She gestured exasperatedly around the small office. "Nothing is where it should be, or taken care of properly. I'm surprised you haven't all dropped dead from infection and insect bites."

"It's not me you should be blaming for that," he said frankly.

Sakura was well aware of that, but she didn't want to think about the camp's poor excuse for a medic any more than necessary. Now that she and Shizune were here they would make sure everyone got the care they needed.

"Come on," he said, turning to go. "You haven't left this building in two days."

She gave him a look. "I don't remember you being prone to exaggeration."

He smiled. "I'm not."

He was sort of right. Naruto wasn't lying about there being a ton of people who needed some form of medical care. Everything from poison oak and abscessed blisters, to kidney infections, badly healed scar tissue, and one broken tailbone; it seemed like just about every soldier in the compound had visited the medical room over the past few days. Though most of the treatment they gave didn't require any chakra, the newly arrived medics were exhausted. They'd been organizing little by little as they went, and so far they were about half done. They hadn't had a chance to really learn their way around the camp yet.

"Let me just clean up a little," she said, waving him off. "I'll meet you in a few minutes." Shaking his head, Sai left, apparently assuming that meant she wasn't coming.

Organizing quickly and efficiently was one of her talents, and in a while the little clinic was in far better shape than when she'd found it. From now on if someone needed a penicillin shot, she wouldn't have to search for an hour before finding it in a case of ether anesthetic. All vials of clear liquid were _not_ the same.

The door to the clinic slid open once again and a shadow fell across the floor. "Need any help?"

Sakura's mouth tightened and she fought the urge to huff, but her back was turned so she didn't bother to hide her eye roll. "I'm pretty much finished now. I could have used you earlier." _Or you could have kept the place up yourself at some point in the last two years_.

"I was on watch."

Sakura turned around, her expression poorly hiding her thoughts, and stared hard at Karin as she looked around the now-immaculate office, completely unapologetic. Anyone could pull guard duty; the medics weren't required to do so, and it was preferred that their time was spent where they were needed most. Sakura had been here two days and knew that.

Karin wasn't really a medic, but she still had basic medical training and the ability to learn medical ninjutsu if she bothered. Sakura got the impression that Karin was the type who waited for instructions and never took initiative unless she had something to gain. She was a classic slacker; always lurking with an air of helpfulness when she wasn't needed, but conveniently never around when she actually was.

"Right," she said tartly. She locked up the medicine cabinet and went to the door, forcing the taller woman to back outside to avoid being barged into. "Well. Maybe tomorrow the guard will be back on its regular roster and they won't need extra help."

Karin's ruby colored eyes narrowed minutely, aware Sakura was onto her. All she said was, "Maybe."

Without another word Sakura moved past her and headed for the mess hall. She felt Karin's eyes follow her as she walked away, but she ignored it, and within moments the irritating woman was out of sight, out of mind.

Sai wasn't there, because predictably, Sakura had gotten carried away with her task and lost track of time. He'd known better than to wait around. She felt a little bad for blowing him off for work, and made a mental note to spend more time with him later.

Now that she could see and smell food, she was starving, and she sweetly asked the cook to load her plate with extra rice. The mess hall was practically empty, as it was almost two and most people had already eaten. She spotted Tenten, Lee, and Kurenai at a table, and they beckoned her to join them.

"How are you settling in?" Tenten asked her.

"Alright. I've been really busy."

"It is great to finally have you here, Sakura," said Lee. "Many of us were really worried about you."

"It's good to be here," she returned, smiling.

"Sakura, this is my daughter Asumi," Kurenai said, holding the little girl in her lap. She had her mother's delicate features but her father's curly black hair and large brown eyes. "Asumi. This is Sakura."

"Hello Asumi," Sakura greeted.

"Hi," said Asumi politely, before she hid her face in her mother's hair.

"She's very shy," Kurenai explained, stroking her daughter's wild hair. "She's been through a lot."

Sakura understood. Circumstances had forced the little girl to experience a lot of trauma and fear in her short life. The presence of a child—especially one so small and cute—was both a source of pleasure and of worry around the camp. According to Kurenai, Asumi had about a dozen "big brothers" including the ever-chivalrous Lee, and one self-appointed surrogate dad in Shikamaru to look after her.

Lunch with her old friends started out pleasant, but soon turned morose. It was tough to talk about most things without somehow bringing up the past and reminding them all what they had lost. Particularly in Tenten and Lee's case. Sakura asked one innocent question about their team leader Gai, and then they were tearfully relating the story of how their sensei had been killed while helping them escape Konoha. To make matters worse, they had no idea what happened to Neji, but the rumor was he had sided with Danzou along with most of the Hyuuga clan.

"At least according to Hanabi," Tenten said. It was clear in her expression how deeply her teammate's betrayal affected her.

"Hanabi is here?" Sakura recalled seeing her in the Bingo book only a week ago.

"Yeah, but not at the moment. She's out on a special mission."

"Because she is the only Byakugan user we have, she does a lot of reconnaissance," Lee added.

"What about Hinata?" Sakura wanted to know. They had known each other all their lives, but they were just starting to really become friends before the coup.

Kurenai answered, "I believe that's where Hanabi went; to try and contact Hinata somehow."

"It's dangerous," said Tenten, frowning. "She's putting us all at risk if Hinata is also one of _them_."

Kurenai gave her a sharp look, offended by the idea that her student might be a traitor. Sakura wasn't that surprised about Neji, honestly, but she had a hard time believing Hinata would support a regime that favored war and the iron fist. "Come on," she said. "This is _Hinata_ we're talking about. I don't think she would ever side against Naruto."

Tenten shrugged. "I don't think so either. "I'm just saying…" She trailed off, but the rest was clear: they hadn't expected it from Neji either.

Lee looked downright depressed now, and Kurenai tactfully steered the conversation in a different direction, asking Sakura what she'd been up to for the past two years.

After eating and parting from the group, Sakura had nothing planned for the rest of her day except to familiarize herself with the compound. She wandered around for a little while, chatting with people she knew. Naruto wasn't around; reportedly practicing his Sage techniques out in the forest by himself, which she was told he did often. Although they'd talked it out, she still felt a little weird around him, so it wasn't a problem that she hadn't really seen him much since the night she arrived. It would take a little more time for things to be all good there.

Eventually she found Kakashi on the roof of the command hall. Or more accurately, he noticed _her_, and she became aware of him when he threw a clump of spongy moss at her. "Yo," he called down, giving her a short wave.

Smiling, she jumped up to where he was, and was surprised to see he was reading a pocket-sized book that was _not_ Icha Icha.

"Classic literature?" she said in awe, tilting her head to read the cover. _The Tale of the Loyal Assassins._ It was about a samurai lord who was murdered by his rival, and after two years of plotting revenge, his men stormed the castle and assassinated the murderer. Then they all lined up before their master's grave and committed ritual suicide to atone for their crime. It was a depressing story, and the samurai code of honor was very different from a ninja's, but maybe understanding their motives wasn't so difficult anymore. "I've read that one," she said. "Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

"It crossed my mind…but I don't think our story will end so tragically."

Sakura really hoped he was right. "I didn't think you read anything besides porn," she teased, taking a seat next to him.

He feigned offense. "Of course I do. Even a masterpiece gets boring if you read it too often."

Sakura snorted at the idea of Jiraiya the Master Pervert's smut novels being 'masterpieces.'

Kakashi gave her a mild glare. "If you're just going to insult my tastes I have a chapter I'd like to finish…"

"Oh come on," she laughed incredulously. "_Icha Icha?"_

"You've obviously never read any of them; otherwise you would know that they're a lot more than porn."

"Really," she said flatly. "What are they then?"

"Satire."

She stared at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "The main character's adventures are full of historical and political mockery. They're highly amusing if you get the joke."

"Huh." She frowned thoughtfully, recalling all the times she'd heard him chuckle, or worse, _giggle_, while reading them. It had been highly disturbing without knowing the context. "But they're still full of porn, right?"

He smiled. "Absolutely."

Sakura shook her head, amused. Maybe she would ask him to borrow one sometime. "So you just happened to have that on you during your last mission for Konoha?"

"I borrowed this from Genma."

Sakura blinked. "Genma reads?"

Kakashi looked at her askance, not knowing why she seemed surprised. "Almost as much as I do."

"Hm." She was learning all sorts of interesting things today.

He put the book away and leaned back on his hands. "So what are you up to?"

"I finally finished organizing the medical room. It was a mess."

"I'll bet."

His wry tone said he understood perfectly, so Sakura decided to vent a little. "Has she done _anything_ since she got here?"

"She's been here almost since the beginning. And many shinobi have learned to self-suture thanks to her. Always a handy thing to know when you're in the field."

Sakura scowled. "That's terrible."

Kakashi shrugged. "You can't entirely blame her. She's not a qualified medic, yet she's been forced into that role because she was the closest thing we had. She's not even a Konoha shinobi, for that matter, and yet she's here helping us. Sort of."

Sakura wanted to say that everyone had to do their part, but she had to admit he was right. It wasn't really fair. And she was probably being overly harsh for personal reasons. Karin had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. "I guess," she muttered grudgingly.

"Terrible bedside manner, though," he mused. "I prefer yours."

Sakura laughed. "That's saying something!" She sat back further, her shoulder lightly brushing his.

"So you're free the rest of the day?"

"Yep. Got something in mind?" The idea of spending the day with Kakashi was an appealing one. She'd missed their easy dynamic.

He stretched, popping his shoulder impressively. "How about a spar? I'd like to see if my former student has been keeping up her skills or just lounging around in bars all this time."

Sakura grinned. "You're on."

They made their way to the wide clearing just outside the thorn fence on the north side of the compound, where an area had been set up for training. Tree stumps and target dummies lined one side, while the other was open for sparring. A sign tacked to a tree read 'No major elemental jutsu allowed.' Sakura presumed because it would damage the forest and possibly alert others to their presence here. That meant she would also have to watch her chakra output so she didn't take out any trees or open a chasm through the middle of the compound.

It didn't matter. She had already overcome the hindrance of her situational combat abilities—which her old sensei was about to learn. They squared off, and Sakura smirked wickedly. She was going to enjoy this immensely.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked her, taking a somewhat relaxed ready-stance. Then he tensed suddenly when something came at him from behind: Sakura's foot. She kicked him in the hip, but only because he'd turned at the last second; she'd been aiming for his ass.

Kakashi didn't know whether to be indignant or impressed. She'd hardly put any force behind it, meaning it was just to show off. Her smug laughter rang out as he turned back around to watch her clone disappear in a puff of smoke. She'd been walking beside him the entire time; there was no way she could have made a clone without him noticing…

"When did you cast a genjutsu?" he asked.

Sakura smiled triumphantly. "The moment we passed the gate."

Kakashi was definitely impressed. Such a small thing, to make him see one of her when there were two—simple, but brilliantly effective. "You were originally a genjutsu type," he recalled. "Let's see what else you've learned."

He disappeared.

So did his chakra signature. Sakura was completely unable to sense him; she had to go on combat instinct alone. She crouched lower into her guarded stance, ready to move at the slightest signal. At the same time she didn't want to embarrass herself by spooking over nothing, so she waited, senses on overdrive.

Suddenly he was there at her right side, aiming a roundhouse kick at her head. Sakura blocked with her elbow and whirled to face him. Kakashi dropped and spun, kicking out his other leg to sweep her feet out from under her. She flipped over backwards to evade and then kicked at his face before he could rise. He rolled sideways and leapt to his feet, and immediately came at her again.

They sparred back and forth for the next several minutes, trading blows and blocks in a savage dance. Before, Sakura had always been amazed at how fast Kakashi was, particularly in taijutsu. Now she was more amazed by the fact that she was keeping up with him. Living in exile, she hadn't had many opportunities to truly test herself against high-caliber opponents. Either he'd gotten slower, or Sakura had improved more than she realized.

Sakura rushed forward so fast she appeared to flicker, and leapt at Kakashi. He saw her knee raise and prepared for the kick to his torso, but he didn't notice her elbow flying at his blind side until she was right on him. She hit him with her knee and elbow at the same time. He grunted and staggered a little, and she took advantage of those few seconds to kick him again squarely in the chest. There wasn't enough chakra behind it to do damage, just enough to send him flying back a few meters. He quickly regained his balance and stance, and Sakura could see the amazement in his uncovered eye.

Broken apart for a moment, they squared off again, mutually catching their breath.

"This definitely isn't the same as it used to be," said Kakashi, still mostly unwinded.

For some reason the way he said it—as if despite what he said a few minutes ago he still expected her skills to be vastly inferior to his—ground on her nerves. "Nothing is the same as it used to be, Kakashi," she said curtly. "Especially not me. And don't insult me by continuing to fight with your Sharingan covered."

Kakashi was taken aback by her sudden vehemence. But he had indeed made certain unconscious assumptions about this sparring match and Sakura as well, before they even started. Assumptions that were apparently quite inaccurate. He pulled off his eyepatch and put it in his pocket, blinking a few times to let the Sharingan adjust to light and focus on his opponent.

"It wasn't my intention to offend you," he said, beginning to circle around her.

Sakura automatically mirrored his movements in the opposite direction, and wasn't surprised when he disappeared again. He reappeared to her left and his assault was so fast and hard that she took a kick to the shoulder that knocked her to the ground. She rolled back to her feet, ready to defend his follow up, but he'd disappeared again. The next time she was ready when he reappeared and hurled a barrage of shuriken at her before flickering away again. He already knew how strong she was in taijutsu. Now he was testing what had always been her greatest weakness.

But it was a weakness no longer. She dodged, flipped, and flickered around the clearing as Kakashi sent waves of weaponry her way, using a jutsu to multiply them. They came at her in dozens, and there were more and more each time, until she could no longer evade them with speed and agility alone.

Sakura reached for the holster at her belt and withdrew a thin, medium length piece of steel wrapped in a deceptively delicate chain. Her thumb pressed the small catch-release at the base and the weapon snapped open, a sickle blade unfolding at one end. Small, needle-sharp spikes clicked out of the weighted ball at the end of the chain.

Kakashi saw the blade and didn't give her any time to prepare, sending a wave of at least a hundred shuriken and kunai straight toward her. Sakura let her instinct and training take over as she deflected each assault with both ends of the weapon, jumping and spinning as the chain whirled like a fan blade. Sparks flew each time she knocked the steel projectiles off their course. In between waves she also lashed out at Kakashi, forcing him into an evasive dance of his own as he dodged the deadly spiked weight at the end of the chain.

Sakura was having a fantastic time, and could hardly stop grinning. She was winded, but exhilarated and confident. Nothing had felt this good in a long time.

The waves stopped and Kakashi vanished, only to reappear right in front of her. In a move he could only pull off with the Sharingan, he managed to slip the tip of his kunai between the links in the chain. He pulled hard, trying to rip the weapon out of her hand. Sakura held on with chakra strength and was sent flying, then went crashing to the ground. Kakashi rushed her in a blur of movement, and she barely rolled to her feet in time.

Sakura leapt backward and slashed at him with the scythe, which he dodged easily. He was trying to get inside the chain's range; however her weapon was even more effective in mid-range combat. Kakashi was in for another surprise as well, because this wasn't a normal sickle blade. An incredibly valuable parting gift from the warrior monk, Inei, this blade was specially made to conduct chakra, becoming ten times deadlier in the hands of someone like Sakura.

Chakra shot down the length of the sickle and the chain, extending the length of the blade _and_ the spikes with near-invisible energy. The chain itself, normally used to incapacitate an enemy, also became a cutting weapon with her chakra coating it.

Kakashi was forced back once more, and Sakura made her move. She swung high, making him duck, then immediately swung low, forcing him to roll. Using his moment of disorientation, she flash-stepped around and behind him, then pulled the chain back in and switched it to her other hand, sending the curved blade flying out instead. Kakashi wasn't expecting the bigger object, nor was he aware that the sickle's reach was extended until the last second.

Literally the last second, because the blade sliced cleanly through his neck.

The silence that followed was deafening. Only Sakura's exerted breaths filled the training area. She turned to Kakashi, just as the decapitated (and bloodless) Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

The fight had screeched to an unceremonious halt. Kakashi was just standing there, gaping at her. She'd never seen him _gape_ before—even through his mask she could see that his jaw had fallen slack in shock. "What?"

He blinked incredulously. "Sakura," he said slowly. "You just _cut my head off_…"

Sakura didn't get it. He should be impressed—she'd just beaten him hands down, after all. She was incredibly impressed with _herself_, at least. But Kakashi just looked appalled. "Yeah?"

"This is supposed to be a spar. As in a _fake_ fight."

Sakura laughed a little, finally understanding. "You think I can't tell you from a shadow clone?"

Now he just looked insulted. "My clones may not be Naruto's, but they're pretty damn good, thank you."

"They are," she agreed. "But even though the chakra levels between you and the clone are the same, the chakra core—the source inside all of us—is absent in a clone. They feel different."

"You can _sense_ that?"

Sakura nodded. "I've learned a lot since the last time we saw each other."

Kakashi had to laugh a little. "Clearly."

"Do you want to keep going?"

"No," he decided, shaking himself out a little. His chakra levels were down to half, and if they continued like this she would undoubtedly win again. "I concede defeat. You've grown a lot, Sakura. I can't really take credit for it, but I'm proud of you."

Sakura beamed. Though she knew that in a real fight he would have over a thousand jutsu to throw at her and she probably would never have gotten the chance to strike that fatal blow, it felt really good to claim any kind of tactical victory over the legendary Copy Ninja. And it meant more than he could know to see him so shockingly impressed, and to hear him say he was proud of her.

Kakashi walked over to her and reached out, silently asking to look at her weapon. "Where did you learn the kusarigama?" he asked, running his hand over the blade and admiring the excellent craftsmanship.

"From a warrior monk." She told him the story of her first six months in exile and how she and Shizune had sought refuge at the northern temple, and ultimately how they came under the tutelage of Master Inei. The kusarigama was one of the unfamiliar weapons Sakura was surprised to learn she was actually rather good with, and by the end of her half-year of grueling training, it had become her favorite.

"I've heard of Hozo Inei," Kakashi said. "What a lucky opportunity." Handing the kusarigama back to her, he added, "You're very good with it. It's a difficult weapon to master, and even then most people can't throw the sickle with any accuracy."

Sakura folded the blade and returned it to its holster. "Master Inei taught me some awesome things, but I still have to credit Tsunade-sama for being able to beat you today." She looked up at him. "Because she was the one who taught me that a kunoichi's best weapon is underestimation."

Kakashi regarded her silently for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry for underestimating you." He laughed wryly and rubbed his neck, recalling the extremely unpleasant feeling, through clone transmission, of being decapitated. "And very thankful you didn't _over_estimate me."

Sakura eyed him reprovingly. "You still expected me to be the same as I was at sixteen. But I'm not that girl anymore."

Kakashi just looked at her, a weighted silence stretching between them. Then she saw his eyes travel downward and take her in. Just a miniscule glance that lasted no more than a second, but it spoke volumes. Kakashi was acutely aware of her new maturity, and that excited her. She liked him looking at her that way.

And then he ruined the moment by speaking. "I should get back to work," he said, pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"Um. Okay…." Sakura was surprised, annoyed, and a little embarrassed all at once. He couldn't be more transparent. He'd been slacking off with his nose in a book when she found him; she doubted there were any pressing duties he needed to attend to. She was surprised he didn't vanish on the spot.

He gave a short wave as he turned to go. "See you later."

"Sure," she said flatly. Sakura didn't want him to leave, but there was nothing she could do to make him stay. She wasn't going to apologize for chastising him; he'd needed to hear it. As for that weird moment between them, well she wasn't going to apologize for that either. But she hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable and drive him off.

Irritated at herself and Kakashi as well, for reasons she couldn't really define, Sakura sighed heavily and walked off in the other direction. She didn't want to be around other people just yet; so she headed into the woods and climbed a tree with a comfortable looking seat in the branches.

She had wanted Kakashi to stay…but for what? What was she expecting? Something she hadn't gotten, obviously, which was why she was annoyed. But she couldn't give it a name.

Sakura closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun soaking into her skin where it broke through the thick canopy. It was all because of that night, she knew. If that night never happened, a lot of things would be different now, including her relationship with Kakashi. That was the night when the lines blurred and things changed between them forever.

* * *

TBC


	6. One Night in the Rain

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Six: One Night in the Rain

##

* * *

_Konoha, 3 nights before the fall… _

* * *

It was pouring rain, and she was lost. She was perfectly aware of her physical location, but she had no idea how she'd ended up there in her wandering, and no idea where to go next. Definitely not home.

Sakura plodded listlessly, not on the sidewalk but not quite in the street, her feet dragging and sloshing through the runoff that accumulated around the sewer drainage grates. A block away she spotted a bench and decided to go sit on it. She crossed the street without really seeing anything around her. Had it been daytime and not pouring, she might have been hit by a cart. As it was she just plopped down on the sodden wooden bench and pulled her legs up, letting her heels balance on the edge of the seat.

The few people compelled to be out and about this late gave her strange looks as they hurried along under their dripping umbrellas. Sakura didn't have an umbrella and was soaked to the bone, but she sat on her bench without seeming to notice. Despite a few concerned glances they all passed by without questioning her, probably not wanting to interfere with someone whose behavior was clearly abnormal.

Sakura hugged her knees to her chest and turned her face to the sky, hiding her tears in the rain.

Nothing would ever be normal again.

#

_The moment she awoke, she knew things were bad. Her head ached like hell, and she could feel that her eyes were puffy from crying. And she was cold, because she was naked. Worst of all, she was naked in a bed that wasn't hers. _

_Or maybe the worst part was who the bed actually belonged to. _

_There was no moment of groggy recollection; Sakura knew exactly where she was and how she got there and what had happened, and she had to clamp down on the urge to groan. She turned over and sat up laboriously, as if the weight of the entire world pressed down on her. Her head swam a little; she was still tipsy. _

_He was still here. At least he was brave enough not to run out in disgrace, which is probably what Sakura would have done if she'd woken first. She was overwhelmingly tempted to do it now anyway— just bolt for the door and sprint home so they wouldn't have to talk about this. But acting cowardly and immature would only make it worse. _

_He was sitting at the edge of the bed, hunched over with elbows on knees and his head drooping. His hangdog posture told her he didn't feel any better than she did at the moment. She didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. He'd put pants on, but the sight of his tanned, bare back brought on a flash of memory that made her want to dive beneath the blankets and never come out. _

_She looked pointedly away, and her eyes landed on her clothes at the foot of the bed, which he must have gathered up and placed within easy reach for when she woke up. It made her want to cry. Why did he have to be such a _good_ guy, and why wasn't it enough? Why was she such a selfish, colossal fool?_

_He was purposely not looking at her, waiting for her to cover up. Anything to ease the awkwardness. Quickly and silently, she pulled on her underwear, shorts, and tank undershirt, leaving her red zipper top on the bed for now. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and then closed it again, lost for words. She stared at his back; he'd tensed up even further, as aware as she that they couldn't reasonably ignore each other any longer. In the heavy silence, the rain pattering the rooftops outside seemed obscenely loud. _

"_Naru—" she blurted softly, in the same moment he turned around. Her words caught as their eyes met, held for about a second, and then both looked elsewhere. Sakura bit her lip self-consciously and tried again. "I…"_

"_I'm sorry," he murmured at the same time. _

_Sakura blinked. "What?"_

_His eyes were filled with intense guilt. "I'm sorry," he repeated, voice dulled and husky with shame. He closed his eyes and shook his head in a 'can't believe this is happening' way. A long moment passed before he looked at her again. "We shouldn't have…we're both in a bad place right now and I—" He sighed heavily. "It was wrong of me to use you to drown my own pain. I'm a total asshole. I'm so sorry."_

Use her?_ Sakura sat up a little straighter, frowning. "Hey, don't say that. We both made the choice." She looked away and gave a choked breath of uncomfortable laughter. "I'm the one who should apologize for thinking it was a good idea to bring alcohol. We were drunk."_

"…_I wasn't."_

_It was barely a murmur, but her eyes snapped back to his face. He wouldn't look at her. She stared at him, confused. "What?"_

"_I wasn't drunk," he said again. "The Kyuubi doesn't let me, though sometimes I _really_ wish I could."_

_Foreign substances in his system had no effect or wore off very quickly; that's how it was when he'd been scratched by her poisoned kunai. It would be the same with alcohol. Technically they weren't old enough to drink, though it wasn't really enforced with shinobi. Who was to say they couldn't make personal adult choices when they were expected to fight and die for their village? Even if those choices led them down incredibly stupid paths, like now. But she'd never seen him drink before tonight. _

"_Everything is so fucked up. Then you came here tonight, and you know exactly how it feels, and I just thought…" He shook his head. "I don't know what I thought."_

_Sakura had no idea what to say. She thought he would be upset because he knew her feelings weren't strong enough to be with him, not because he didn't have feelings for _her_ anymore. When had it changed? Did he have feelings for someone else? Part of her was glad, but at the same time it strangely kind of hurt, and she found herself getting angry. He _had_ used her. Maybe she'd used him as well; after all she was the one who came here looking for comfort in her misery. But that didn't make it any easier to take. _

_If Naruto had seen the look on her face at that moment he might have kept his mouth shut, but he was still unable to look at her, and as he ran his hands over his face he muttered, "It shouldn't have happened."_

"_You're right. I—I think I need to go," she replied tensely. She grabbed her overshirt and quickly got off the bed, giving him as wide a berth as possible, then found her boots and hastily pulled them on. _

"_Sakura…" he started, lifting one arm halfway, then awkwardly lowering it. "Don't just leave like this…"_

"_I have to go," she repeated weakly, without looking at him. She knew she couldn't even try to hide how upset she was right now. "I can't… I'll see you later." She needed to get out of here before he saw her cry. _

_Naruto just dropped his head into his hands and didn't try to stop her as she slammed the door and ran out into the rain._

#

Sakura folded her arms across her knees and laid her head against them. Water dripped from her hair into her eyes and mouth, but she barely noticed. How did her life get so abysmally fucked up?

Sasuke's recent actions had baffled her; she couldn't understand how this reckless, violent criminal could be the boy she'd known. So she'd misled her squad and set out on her own to find him. She felt bad for tricking her friends, but she'd needed answers. Above all, she'd needed to confront Sasuke before Naruto did.

She was completely unprepared for what she found.

Even though a large part of her despised him, whenever she saw him the bastard still managed to tug on her heartstrings. He was like a pervasive weed that just wouldn't stop growing until it ruined the garden. It really pissed her off that he still affected her like that. She didn't have romantic feelings for him anymore—how could she?—but she was foolishly sentimental. He'd meant so much to her once, and just as Naruto was obsessed with saving Sasuke, she was obsessed with gaining closure.

She hadn't realized how far he'd fallen. He'd critically wounded his own comrade because she got in his way. And then in the same blasé manner, he told her to finish Karin off. It was obviously a test, but it was one he fully expected her to carry out.

For a brief moment she considered doing it. Shinobi are expected to complete their objective at all costs. She tried to do what she had to, tried to ignore the hurt, betrayed look in Karin's eyes that told Sakura they shared far more in common than she wanted to admit. If Sasuke had agreed to let Sakura follow him the night he left, would she have been the one lying there instead, dying, with her blood on his blade?

In the end, Sasuke had no intention of letting her join him no matter how many horrible tests she passed. As she'd stood over Karin, agonizing about what to do, her blood went cold at the unmistakable sound of the Chidori right behind her. Too close to evade. She'd been sure it was the last sound she would ever hear.

Then Kakashi showed up and got between them at the last moment. Her team leader was not as easily fooled as the companions she'd ditched, or maybe he just knew her better. At the time she was furious with him for coming after her, for not trusting her to take care of it herself. Maybe he thought she wasn't capable, or maybe he'd been trying to spare her like she was trying to spare Naruto. She wasn't mad at him anymore, because in the end there was no question that he saved her life.

Sasuke flew into a rage at seeing Kakashi. Maybe he thought Kakashi's presence confirmed that Sakura had set him up, or maybe he just really hated his former sensei. Either way, the extent of his madness became all too clear. It only got worse after that, because Naruto had followed Kakashi. That confrontation was too painful to dredge up again. Sakura never would have thought she would be grateful to Uchiha Madara for anything, but his abrupt arrival and abduction of Sasuke was the only reason no one had died that day.

And that was how she eventually ended up in her current situation. Sakura couldn't forgive herself for not sparing Naruto the pain of facing the person Sasuke had become. Her entire team was hurting and Naruto was devastated and it was all her fault because her resolve wasn't strong enough. She'd been unable to follow through with her plan.

Team Kakashi returned to Konoha in misery. It had been raining when they got back, and hadn't stopped since. It seemed fitting. They'd failed again, but this time it felt permanent. Hopeless. A few days had passed since then and they'd all avoided each other, couldn't even look into each other's faces without seeing their own wretchedness reflected back at them.

Then today, unable to take feeling so alone, wanting to commiserate, Sakura had gone looking for Naruto—and stupidly brought a bottle of whiskey she'd dug out of her parents' dusty old liquor cabinet. Seeking mutual comfort had taken a wholly unexpected turn, but in hindsight, she supposed she should have known better.

For some time she'd thought she had real feelings for him, but she realized now—too late—that she was just confused. Naruto was so much _better_ than Sasuke on so many levels, and he'd always cared for her, respected her, appreciated her. Over the years he'd come to mean so much to her and was such a crucial part of her life that she couldn't imagine him not in it. Most of all, Naruto was _safe_. She wanted to love him, wanted him to love her, and in those few vulnerable moments she'd convinced herself that she did. Apparently he'd done the same.

But that wasn't the kind of love they had. If it was, things would be different. They would be together right now, happy. Instead they discovered all too well that there was no passion between them. It had been mutually unsatisfying and left them both with the feeling that it was all wrong.

A horrible mistake. One that might have permanently damaged their friendship.

Confusion and hurt flared into a spark of anger and Sakura pounded the bench seat in self-recrimination. It splintered under her fist, and in the absence of sober grace she almost fell as it collapsed. She always misjudged her own strength when she was emotionally distraught. Adding alcohol to the mix didn't help.

Bench in ruins, she made a hazy mental note to fess up and pay for it later and grudgingly began walking again. Taking a better look at her surroundings as she ambled, Sakura realized she was close to the park. Naruto's tiny flat was way over in the cramped merchant district. Somehow she'd managed to cross the entire village on autopilot. She still had no idea where to go. If she went home someone might come looking for her there. Going home also meant Ino would see her light on this late at night and might drop by. The last thing she needed was her gossipy frenemy trying to pry a sob story out of her.

Sakura passed by the park and came up on the entrance to the memorial gardens. It seemed like an appropriately morose place to hang out at the moment, so she turned through the arched gateway and meandered down the gravel path. It got darker as she moved further into the gardens and away from the streetlights. It was completely silent except for the rain; even her boots on the gravel were muffled. She followed the familiar path around the hedgerow which would be flowering at other times of the year, and into the clearing where the memorial stone stood.

She stepped off the path onto the grass, but quickly halted. Someone else was there; a slightly lighter shade of dark against the obsidian blackness of the monolith.

It was Kakashi. There was no mistaking that hair.

Sakura thought of turning and leaving. Nobody who came to the memorial stone at midnight was looking for company, including her. But after watching him a moment she found that she couldn't turn away. What was he doing? He hadn't wandered here by accident as she had. He'd come here on purpose, in the middle of the night. Something about him caught her and moved her feet forward, toward him.

He was soaked through as she was, and didn't react to her presence even when she drew up right beside him. He just stared blankly at the stone while Sakura stared at him, at the hollowness of his expression. There was something poignant about the way he stood there, like a sentinel guarding the dead. Like a ghost.

Sakura often saw that same look in some of the older veterans when they came in for their physicals, the ones who'd survived the Third War. The ones who'd seen too much blood and death, lost too many comrades, took too many lives, until it slowly ate them away inside. That hollowness was what was left. Most of them went on to live out their lives, and most were relatively happy. But it sneaked up on them at times.

Kakashi was so young to be a veteran of that war, but he was; she'd seen parts of his service record. Counting in her head, Sakura figured he had to have been eight or nine when it started, thirteen when it ended. Konoha hadn't waited for its gifted child prodigy to grow up a little. Her heart went out to him. She had no idea this side of him existed. If she had she might have…talked to him more? She didn't know.

A few minutes had passed since she came up to him, but he still hadn't acknowledged her. "Sensei?" she prodded softly. No response. He was like a statue. Sakura frowned slightly. Kakashi had the sharpest reactions of anyone she knew and she'd never seen him caught unawares. Even if he were ignoring her he would have twitched an eyebrow in annoyance or something. "Kakashi," she tried again, louder, but still gently.

It was the first time she'd ever called him by his name alone, and maybe that was what got to him, because he finally seemed to realize she was there. He didn't look at her or say anything, but his posture tensed and he flinched ever so slightly. She was probably intruding on something very personal and private, she realized, and suddenly regretted approaching him. Leaving now would only make that intrusion pointless, so she stood next to him quietly. If he didn't want to be around her he would leave. He didn't though, and she took that as a silent acceptance.

Kakashi came here a lot, she knew. It was one of the reasons he was always late to everything. He stood in the shadow of the monument for hours on end sometimes, but she had no idea he went to such depressive extremes. She didn't know what drew him here so often; she hadn't felt they were close enough to ask. Now it felt like the right time.

"Who do you come here for?" she asked softly.

At first it seemed like he wasn't going to respond again. Then he knelt down and reached out to touch the stone. The smooth face of the monument was cast in shadow and the engraved names of the fallen were barely visible, but his fingers never hesitated, as if he'd done this a thousand times. He touched a name near the bottom, but that didn't mean the person had recently passed. The first names at the top of the ancient volcanic stone went back almost a hundred years.

So quietly that Sakura barely heard, he said, "Minato-sensei."

The Fourth Hokage. His teacher. She knelt down beside him, her eyes following his hand as it moved up a little higher.

"Rin."

Sakura looked at him, but his half hidden face gave nothing away. His fingers moved higher still, and lingered on that name longest.

"Obito."

She focused on the shadowed engraving and was surprised to see an Uchiha surname. "Who were they?" she asked him.

"My teammates. My best friends. They died because I didn't protect them. I failed them like I failed you."

Sakura's heart wrenched, knowing that by 'you' he meant the old Team Seven. This was brought on by the confrontation with Sasuke. Sakura was suddenly disgusted with herself. How self-absorbed was she? She and Naruto weren't the only ones hurting. They'd just assumed Sasuke's behavior affected them the most and had thoughtlessly overlooked their leader's pain and remorse. Kakashi felt responsible for them, and that ultimately included Sasuke. He may not mope around and cry about it, but it still affected him deeply.

"Oh Kakashi, no." She reached out and grasped his forearm, touching the exposed skin between his glove and his rolled sleeve. "You've never—" Her eyes widened at the feel of his icy skin. "How long have you been out here?" He didn't reply; either he didn't want her to know, or didn't know himself, both of which meant Way Too Long. She sent a little chakra into his arm, and became alarmed. "You're borderline hypothermic you idiot! I can't believe you're not shaking in your boots!"

He _was_ trembling a little. Sakura's touch seemed to have woken his senses, though she was only marginally warmer, and was shivering herself. They were entering the wee hours before dawn, and the rain still poured. It was so cold that if it wasn't so wet her breath would be fogging.

"Come on." She pulled on his arm as she stood, hauling him up with her. Her own troubles faded into the back of her mind as she found someone else to take care of. "Let's get you home." Kakashi didn't resist, but he wasn't particularly cooperative either, and she had to keep tugging him along after her as they left the gardens and made their way through the wet empty streets toward his place.

Kakashi lived on the fourth floor of a very old, poorly kept building designed for single living, in a tiny studio that was only slightly bigger than Naruto's hole in the wall. The climb up three flights of stairs was slow going, and then they had to wait on his doorstep while he fumbled in his pockets for his keys. The cold had slowed his motor functions and numbed his fingers. Sakura was a little worried; she'd never seen him like this before. She wasn't in much better shape at this point, and her teeth chattered as she hugged her arms and waited impatiently. Just as she was about to reach in his pocket and grab the damn things herself, he finally pulled them out and opened the door.

Kakashi flicked on the light as she closed the door behind them. He hadn't left the heat on, but it was dry and much warmer than outside, and Sakura sighed in relief as water dripped off of them onto the floor. Kakashi was stiff with the tension of being very cold and trying not to shiver. She resisted the compulsion to order him to go put on warm, dry clothes immediately. He knew how to take care of himself, despite the fact that she'd just rescued him from freezing to death in a cemetery. Everyone was entitled to moments of angst-induced stupidity now and then.

Sakura took a cursory look around. She'd come by a couple times to look for him when he was late, but had never been inside before. It was very neat, because he didn't have much to make a mess with. The sitting area consisted of a small sofa that looked older than she was, a worn wooden coffee table littered with paperwork, and a shelf lined with a few books including some recognizable orange spines. The kitchen was miniscule and the counters were bare except for a coffeemaker and a tin canister of grounds. If she looked in the fridge she'd probably find nothing but condiments and beer. It was as bachelor as it could get.

Her eyes landed back on Kakashi, who was watching her. Did he think it was weird that she was here? He hadn't exactly invited her in…. It occurred to her suddenly that Kakashi was a much older man and they were alone in his apartment in the middle of the night. It _was_ kind of weird, regardless of the circumstances. She tried to think of the appropriate thing to say, but everything sounded really lame in her head, so in the end all she managed was "Um…"

"You staying a while?" he asked tepidly. He moved toward the small chest of drawers on the other side of the room.

"Uh, sure." She looked to the curtained window and the blackness beyond. "At least until the rain—" she'd intended to say 'stops,' but that was unlikely given that it hadn't been dry for three days "—lets up a little."

Kakashi opened the middle drawer and pulled out several articles of dark fabric. He tossed part of it to her and nodded toward the only additional room in the apartment. "Bathroom's there."

Sakura went in and quietly closed the door. It was no different than what you'd find in any motel room, and again there were almost no personal touches, only a toothbrush in a cup on the sink, next to a razor. She tried to picture Kakashi shaving, but it was kind of hard since she'd never seen the lower half of his face.

Finally she looked down at the bundle she'd caught: one of his standard issue black longlseeves and a pair of drawstring jogging shorts. Her clammy skin and the slight shivers still running through her were a pointed reminder that Kakashi wasn't the only one who needed to get out of wet clothes. She was out of luck about her bra and underwear though; she was pretty sure Kakashi didn't have an extra set in her size lying around. If he did, she didn't want to know about it. She could faintly hear him moving around the apartment. The radiator clicked on, and then she heard running water. She changed quickly. The shirt swam on her, and the shorts fit more like highwater pants because he was about eight inches taller, and without the drawstring waistband they wouldn't have stayed on at all. She felt silly in them…and awkward. She was wearing Kakashi's clothes. In Kakashi's apartment.

But stranger things had already happened tonight.

Sakura frowned. She didn't want to think about that. She glanced in the mirror and, extremely unimpressed with what she saw there, made a face and looked away. She had never been a pretty crier, and at the moment she looked like a miserable, half-drunken, drowned rat. Her eyes were red and puffy, her skin ghostly pale, and her hair was a tangled mess. Some of that she could fix, at least. She washed her face and smoothed out her hair, and then opened the door.

Kakashi had made a pot of coffee, and the pleasant aroma drifted to her nose just as the machine began gurgling in its last brewing stage. He leaned against the counter as he waited for it to finish, looking much more like himself in a pair of dark gray track pants and a sleeveless undershirt with attached mask. It was an interesting combination, half pajamas, half uniform, but it figured that he wouldn't go maskless with her here. Which sucked; she'd wanted to know what he looked like for five years. Based on the outline of his features she was sure he was pretty good looking. For years she'd had a hefty wager against her other teammates' theory of hideousness. At least he'd taken his hitai-ate off.

Sakura fidgeted with the hem of her—his—shirt. "Thanks," she muttered. His eyes traveled over her, but it was impossible to tell what he thought of her in his clothes. She leaned against the other side of the same countertop, which was really a breakfast bar with no stools, and inspected the other half of the studio. In the back of the room was a double bed with a military green, shuriken-print bedspread. The bed was unmade, and that was really the only evidence that he spent any time here.

That wasn't entirely true, she realized. On the windowsill above the bed sat the scrawny plant, dubbed Mr. Ukki, that they had gotten him for his birthday their first year as a team. It was a sad excuse of a plant, but they'd been penniless genin and had no idea what else to buy. She was surprised he'd kept it this long, and that it was still alive. Next to Mr. Ukki was a framed photo of Team Seven the day they formed. It was the one they all had. Sakura smiled fondly.

Kakashi followed her gaze and his mismatched eyes warmed, but he didn't smile. Sakura thought he looked very tired, more than just physically. He was clearly depressed, and still had some of that haunted look from before. He looked like he needed a good night's sleep. More than that, he looked like he really needed a friend.

Their gazes remained locked and the moment stretched, until the coffee pot sputtered its last. Kakashi cleared his throat softly and turned away a little too quickly. He opened the cupboard above the stove and pulled out two mugs. There were only four in total, sitting next to a few matching bowls and plates. Like someone had given him a set of dishes as a housewarming gift years ago and he never bothered to complete the collection.

He poured one cup, but before filling the second he glanced up at her. "I don't have cream or sugar…"

"It's fine." Who didn't have sugar? She didn't like her coffee black, but at least it would warm her up. And it was something to do besides stand there awkwardly and stare at him.

Kakashi slid the cup across the counter to her and then walked around it and sat down on the sofa. He slouched down into the cushions and sighed. Sakura joined him, folding her legs beneath her and angling sideways to face him. Her chilled, bare toes dug between the cushions for warmth.

He said, "Why were you at the memorial?"

As much as she'd hoped it wouldn't come up, Sakura had known that question was inevitable. Her mood sank. She didn't want to think about what happened earlier tonight, that's why she was here; she wanted to focus on Kakashi's problem so she didn't have to deal with her own.

She shrugged evasively. "Eh, I was just feeling restless. Decided to take a walk."

Of course he didn't believe such a transparent excuse, and she could clearly see the skepticism in his eyes. But he didn't press her, aware that it was something she didn't want to talk about. Kakashi never pushed.

She took a sip of her coffee to cover her frown. Bitter, but not too strong. "Tell me about your first teammates?" she asked him, eager to change the subject.

Kakashi regarded her silently. He never talked much about himself, and she was asking him to do something that didn't come naturally to him. But aside from wanting the distraction, she genuinely wanted to know more about the aloof and mysterious man who'd been her team leader for so many years. Finally, with a look on his face like he didn't quite know why he was doing it, he gave a faint sigh and started to talk.

"Obito was a classic idiot," he said with a hint of amusement. "He was always screwing around and messing up, and to make things worse, he was a total crybaby who made excuses for his failures. I really couldn't stand him at first. But he never gave up on anything, including trying to be my friend when I was a real dick to him. Being ungifted is kind of an anomaly for an Uchiha, and I think he got a lot of flak from his family because of it. I think that drove him even harder, made him more determined to prove himself." He smiled faintly. "He was a lot like Naruto in that regard. Obito taught me the true value of friendship. What I told you guys about those who don't look after their friends being worse than trash…I learned that from him."

He was quiet and thoughtful for a moment, before continuing. "Rin was a medic. She was like you in some ways," he said, meeting her eyes. "Though not as confident."

"I wasn't always confident," Sakura countered quietly. Some of her choices lately were starting to make her think she was as secretly insecure as she'd always been.

"What I mean is she was confident in her skills, but shy in personality. She wasn't a fighter. She never had the guts to go after things the way you always have."

He meant it as a compliment, but Sakura didn't see it that way. Taking initiative and brazenly displaying her heart on her sleeve had gotten her nothing but trouble. She wished she had some of the cool restraint _he_ possessed.

Kakashi fell silent, his eyes dark and far away. Sakura could tell there was more to the story with Rin, but he didn't want to talk about it. She respected his right to keep secrets, as he'd done for her, and let it go. To keep him from clamming up entirely, she said, "And the Fourth?"

"He was like a big brother to me," he said. "I graduated the Academy when I was six, but the Third didn't want to place me in a genin team with kids twice my age, so for several years it was just the two of us. In addition to being my sensei, he took care of me after my father died. That was before he became Hokage." He paused again as he tried to phrase his next words. Slowly he continued, "After Obito died, he tried to talk me out of joining ANBU, but I didn't listen. I needed to get away from Konoha for a while. I took a lot of extended missions. I wasn't here when Naruto was born, when the Kyuubi attacked…"

He trailed off, and the air around them grew somber. Naruto had become an orphan the night he was born. Sakura had only recently learned of Naruto's parentage, though she'd suspected for a couple years. So much tragedy had befallen Konoha the night Naruto was born that the events surrounding his birth were swept under the rug in the aftermath, and everyone conveniently forgot that the new jinchuuriki who contained the demon that nearly destroyed Konoha was the son of their beloved Yellow Flash. According to Naruto, the Hokage had kept his lineage secret so he wouldn't grow up arrogant and entitled, but Sakura thought it was completely uncalled for that he'd been left to fend for himself, to grow up lonely and impoverished.

"I should have left ANBU then," Kakashi continued mutedly, almost to himself. "I should have stayed in the village to look after Naruto like Minato-sensei had done for me, but…I was selfish. I was hiding. Apparently I was destined to fail Team Seven from the start."

Sakura wouldn't have brought it up if she'd known he would just cycle back to the same depressing thoughts. Most of it had happened before she was even born, when Kakashi was younger than she was now, but his guilt—both real and perceived—still plagued him after all these years. For some reason, he couldn't let go.

"Kakashi," she said firmly, making him look up at her. "Stop saying that. You've never failed us. We respect you and look up to you. And we love you." His glum expression shifted to bewilderment. Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm, but she didn't look away. The hand not holding his coffee rested on his thigh, and she reached out to grasp it. "You're part of our family."

Kakashi went completely still, and completely unreadable. He could do that when he wanted to, and it was always nerve-wracking in one way or another. His hand was warm and masculine under hers, and it occurred to her that she almost never saw him without his gloves. She wanted to look down and see if his hand had any scars, wanted to look away but didn't want to make him think she had anything to be embarrassed about.

After what seemed like forever, his eyes crinkled up a little and she knew he was smiling. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Sakura smiled back, sat back a little and held her mug between both hands. The mood between them relaxed into the easiness they usually had around each other. The long, stressful night was catching up to her. She yawned, looked to the digital alarm clock beside his bed—funny that he had one; he obviously never used it—and blinked in surprise. It was after three.

Kakashi followed her gaze, and leaned his head back against the sofa tiredly. "I have to get up in a few hours," he sighed.

Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "Oh damn, I'm sorry. If I knew that I wouldn't have stayed…"

He lazily half-raised a hand to calm her. "It's fine, Sakura. I wouldn't have gone to bed either way."

She smiled faintly, still uncertain, but if he was okay then she wouldn't argue. "Why do you have to get up so early?"

He stifled a yawn of his own, glanced at her sidelong. "Mission with Tenzou, Genma and Raido."

"Who's Tenzou?"

His head turned to regard her fully, his eyes widened slightly. It was an '_oh shit'_ look; he'd just told her something he wasn't supposed to. "Uh…" He gave a short breath of a laugh, shook his head and explained, "Tenzou is Yamato."

Sakura frowned. "…Yamato is a codename?" He nodded once. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I never saw the point of it myself. Originally he was only supposed to lead you guys on that one mission and then go back to ANBU. But then circumstances changed and he stayed on for a while, partly because of his ability to manage the nine-tails."

"It's weird that he even bothered to use a codename though," she said. "I like Tenzou better. I think I'm going to call him that from now on."

Kakashi chuckled faintly. "Good. That'll annoy him."

"So. What's your mission about?" Normally he told them when he had missions outside their team so they would know he wouldn't be around for a few days. But Team Kakashi had been avoiding each other for the better part of a week.

He gave her a long look. "Classified."

"Oh. Guess I better stop asking you about it before you have to kill me," she teased.

Kakashi stared gravely at her and didn't smile.

Sakura sobered. She didn't want to know what _that_ was about. So much for a lighter mood; apparently neither of them was up for small talk. They sat in silence for a while, drinking their coffee, and she was too tired to be annoyed that he turned his face away every time. The caffeine was having no effect; she could barely keep her eyes open. If anything, the warmth was lulling her toward sleep. When finished, she set the empty mug on the coffee table and leaned back, resting her head on the back of the sofa. "Hey," she said sleepily, and he looked over. "Um, is it alright if I sleep here tonight?"

It took him a moment to answer, but at length he said, "Do you want the bed?"

She shook her head faintly, surprised he would offer to take the couch in his own apartment. At any rate, after wearing his clothes and staying the night, sleeping in his bed was just too much. "I'm good." She blinked slowly, struggling to reopen her eyes once they closed, and snuggled further into the cushions. Kakashi made to get up so she could lie down, but Sakura stopped him by saying, "Talk to me some more."

Kakashi paused. "About what?"

"Anything. Tell me a story."

"Sakura. Are you seriously asking me to tell you a bedtime story?"

One eye cracked open to glare at him. "No, just talk to me damn it." She sighed, closed her eyes, and more quietly murmured, "You have a nice voice." A _really_ nice voice.

Sakura would have loved to see his expression just then, but she couldn't be bothered to open her eyes again. After a moment she felt him settle back onto the couch, heard him sigh. There was amusement in his voice as he told her about one of the first D-ranked missions after Obito and Rin joined him and the Yondaime to make a full team. The job was to find a missing cat, and they'd chased it around for almost an hour before it got itself stuck up a tree. Obito wanted to make an impression, as usual, and insisted he be the one to go up after it. Only he forgot to mention that he hadn't learned how to chakra-walk yet and had no way of getting down. Kakashi—a chuunin already and therefore above such ridiculousness—refused to rescue him from the hissing and clawing creature, and sat stoically at the base of the tree for three hours until their sensei arrived and made him go up. But Kakashi was a dog person and the stupid cat could sense that, and…

Sleep finally took her, and Sakura never heard the rest of the story.

* * *

TBC


	7. Things Left Unsaid

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Seven: Things Left Unsaid

##

* * *

The excitement surrounding the arrival of two medics had apparently caused everyone who needed medical attention to seek it in one stressful, exhausting rush. Sakura's day so far had been nothing like the one before; in six hours she'd seen two people, both of whom were fixed and on their way in less than ten minutes. She had a feeling that, barring a major battle or incident, the rest of her days here would be like this.

She'd sent Shizune off with Genma again hours ago. Sakura didn't mind; she didn't have a hunky longtime beau to while away the day with, or anyone else she particularly longed to see. At the moment she was sitting on one of the cots, back against the wall, staring at a dust-speckled beam of afternoon sunlight from the clinic's lone window as it slowly moved across the floor. It was hot, and she intended to exert as little energy as possible.

Aside from boredom, the inconvenient thing about idleness was that it gave her mind ample time to wander and come up with ways to torment her. She was quickly coming to realize that life was almost easier as a wandering fugitive. Out there, there were only two rules: procure food and shelter, and avoid being captured and/or killed. Unpredictable and often dangerous, but simple. Now that Sakura had returned to her real life—more or less—she had to face her real life problems once again.

Things with Naruto were not back to normal no matter how much they smiled and hugged on the surface. For a long time she was angry with him, even irrationally so; after all she was just as guilty of stupid choices that night. Only she'd been drunk, he hadn't, and she'd clung to that. Over time that anger had faded as her worry for him grew, but it hadn't disappeared entirely. Now she was dealing with what was left of it. It was why even after two years' separation she was still reluctant to spend time with him. Maybe he was too busy to seek her out, or maybe he felt the same. Either way was fine with her, and it saddened her that it was like this. She wanted to fix it, but didn't know where to start.

And now there was Kakashi. She was still stewing about what happened yesterday after their sparring match, about what she'd wanted, and what it meant. The realization wasn't a new one, exactly; it would be a lie to say she'd never once thought of him in that way. Kakashi had the sculpted physique of a lifelong warrior; lean, agile and powerful, with experience to tell a hundred stories and the scars to match. Yet he was so much more than a nice physical exterior. She'd figured out years ago that his lazy indifference was an act, a veneer that would slip away when a situation held no room for games. Underneath that laid back charm, Kakashi was all sharp intellect and restrained power and masculine energy. Yes, she had noticed.

During those two years in exile she'd thought of Kakashi often, remembering in particular the last time she saw him. It had been a night for breaking boundaries—one she regretted, the other she was thankful for. She'd woken to an empty apartment and a scrawled note on the coffee table: _'I __don't know why, but I know you don't want to go home. Stay here long as you want, but could you water Mr. Ukki?'_ Grateful for a temporary hiding place, she took him up on his offer and spent one more night before going home. That very night, the first time she slept in her own bed in three nights, Root agents broke into her home and attacked her.

In the weeks and months that followed, she would recall how different Kakashi had been that night, how he'd seemed more human, more accessible. He was so subtle in comparison to her vivid, overt friends that she'd become accustomed to a shallower reality with him, taking his friendship for granted. Now, filled with self-reproach, she saw more clearly what a good friend he really was. Truthfully she'd replayed those last moments with Kakashi over and over, almost obsessed over them as her last good memories before her world turned upside down.

But none of that mattered. She didn't want something like yesterday to happen again. Kakashi was her friend, one of the few remaining relationships she had that wasn't tainted or strained. She wanted to keep it that way.

A chakra signature outside brought her back into focus, just before a knock sounded at the door. Swinging her feet to the floor and standing, she answered, "Come in."

Speaking of strained relationships—it was Shikamaru. She thought he might be taller than she remembered, but she couldn't be sure. All the men her age seemed to have sprouted to their full adult height, while Sakura had grown a whopping inch. He was definitely scruffier though; it looked like he only shaved when he was in danger of growing a beard. He was smoking again as well; a lit cigarette was pinched between his thumb and forefinger by his side. She could smell it from here. Sakura pasted on a smile. "Hey. What's up?"

"There's a meeting about to start," he said.

They'd worked together several times both on the battlefield and off, and had once been pretty familiar with each other as casual acquaintances—just shy of actual friends. But a lot had changed, and now seeing Shikamaru made her think of their other connection. Ino. Sakura had been trying to avoid him ever since she arrived because she couldn't help but feel guilty for being here, for making it out when Ino didn't. She had also noticed that Chouji wasn't in the camp either and nobody talked about him, which usually meant one thing. Shikamaru had lost both of his teammates to Danzou's coup. Somehow that made her feel worse. She believed he was too logical a person to truly blame her for Ino's death, but she knew better than anyone that emotions were hardly rational. She kept out of his way for both their sakes.

Whatever he might think of her now, he didn't show it. Impatient with her lack of response, he raised his eyebrows expectantly and added, "Naruto wants you there."

"Oh. Okay. Let me just lock up." He went outside to wait, and resumed smoking. Sakura closed the shutters on the window, grabbed the keys, and followed him. He took a final drag, extinguished the smelly stub on the bottom of his boot, and they headed out. It was one of the only times Sakura felt absolutely no inclination to lecture.

Shikamaru was always cool, even aloof at times, but now there was a dark edge to him that she hadn't seen since Asuma was killed. A cold sort of bitterness, along with, she assumed, the same deeply buried rage they all carried inside—the thing that kept them focused when despair threatened to break them. But even if they shared that much, she couldn't pretend to understand him. Her teammates were all alive and safe; his weren't, and that was partly her fault.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

The command hall was filled with the low, idle chatter of the personnel attending the meeting—which was supposed to have started already, only several key people were still missing. Kakashi leaned against the wall with arms crossed, cloaked in the dusky shadows of the dimly lit room, and tuned out the voices around him.

It was the hottest part of the day, a couple hours before sunset, and the air inside the building was close and hot, nearly stifling. The shutters were all thrown open, but it did little good. The temperature within the forest was lower than it would have been elsewhere, but the dense trees blocked any wind flow. The borderland between Fire and Waterfall was practically a rainforest.

This was one of the few times Kakashi wished he didn't wear a mask. He was sorely tempted to go outside until the meeting started, maybe even slip away and find a tall tree to read in and perhaps catch a breeze, but as second-in-command his attendance was required even if he had nothing to input.

A shadow crossed the open doorway and he glanced over to see Shikamaru enter, and almost immediately the odor of freshly smoked tobacco reached his sensitive nose. Sakura followed him in.

Kakashi watched as Naruto looked up at her, their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. Only someone who'd known them for many years and saw them interact on a daily basis would notice the tension in those smiles, and how they soon looked elsewhere. Kakashi didn't know what that was about, but he doubted it happened in the three days Sakura had been in the compound. He wondered if he should try to find out, or if he would rather not know. As team leader it was his job to ensure group cohesion—he remembered all too well what can happen when teammates don't get along. Was Naruto still angry with her for trying to kill Sasuke behind his back? Was Sakura still mad at him for letting Sasuke go again? Or was it something else entirely? They didn't seem to be at odds, just…off.

He watched Sakura as she entered, and noticed a few other men watching her as well, in more than a passing way. There weren't many kunoichi in the camp, and few were as attractive as his teammate. Sakura was almost completely oblivious of her allure, as well as the fact that she intimidated almost every man she met. Even more so now than before. Again he was struck by how she had changed. She carried herself differently, and it wasn't just confidence; it was _knowing_, like she'd been put to the test repeatedly and passed every time. She was still a chuunin, he had to remind himself. If rank even had meaning anymore; they were being led by a genin, after all. Their titles were in-name only these days.

Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him in the shadowy corner, and she smiled at him with a different kind of warmth than she'd given Naruto. He didn't know what to make of that, but he liked that her smile for him was unique. He smiled back, though she probably couldn't see it through the dim.

She'd really thrown him yesterday, and not just because of her skill—though he wouldn't soon forget that she'd beaten him, or the manner in which she did it. It was what happened after that had taken him aback. It wasn't like she'd flirted with him or anything, but he got the feeling that if things somehow crossed the friend line with them, she wouldn't mind.

Would _he_ mind? Now that was a question he'd never expected to ask himself.

He would have to ponder Sakura's intentions and his feelings about it at a later time. Sai had returned from patrol, and Genma and Shizune arrived moments later along with the quartermaster. It was finally starting. Shikamaru called the meeting to order, and with a last gulp of fresh air, Kakashi detached from the wall and joined the others around the long table at the center of the room.

The meeting was one of those boring but necessary deliberations regarding the overall operations of the camp. What was the new headcount; were there weapons and equipment for every soldier; how was security holding up; did they have enough food, soap, blankets, etc? As usual, Shikamaru led the discussion while Naruto took it all in. Calculation and thoroughness were what he was good at, and if anyone knew all of the minute details about their operation here, it was him.

After about twenty minutes, the floor was given to the medics. They had never really discussed medical issues at length before; Karin didn't have clearance to attend the meetings, so her reports had come secondhand.

"You've had a good chance to assess the facility by now. Are there any improvements that can be made?" Shikamaru asked them.

The look Sakura and Shizune exchanged said they could think of a whole lot of things. Sakura turned to him and said, "The building needs windows. Real windows, not just shutters. I don't know how many bugs we had to kill, and who knows what they might have contaminated. Extreme temperatures and moisture can ruin a lot of the medications as well."

"Windows would also give us better lighting to work in," Shizune added.

"It would be nice to have windows throughout the compound," Shikamaru said, his tone indicating he'd probably had his share of bug bites and spiders. Hadn't they all. "But it would draw a lot of attention to acquire them. I suppose we could pick up a couple from a contractor in Matsuoka Gai without much trouble." Matsuoka Gai was the closest town, on the Waterfall border half a day away.

"I can reshape the walls around them easily enough," said Tenzou.

"You should be the one to pick them up then, since you know what will work best," Naruto told him. "Get as many as you can without looking suspicious. And take Kurenai with you. She can cast a genjutsu so they won't remember who they sold to." He turned back to the medics. "Anything else you need?"

"An entire crate of bandages was contaminated by improper handling of waste," Shizune said, not hiding what she thought of that. "So it will have to be replaced. Also we need allergy medicine. There's nothing we can do for allergies with chakra, and in this kind of environment some people are nearly incapacitated by their symptoms. There are some other minor supplies as well. We can make you a list."

"Alright," Naruto said. "You'll have money for whatever you need, but medical supplies can be difficult to get. Sometimes it requires special effort."

In other words, stealing. After a moment's pause Sakura said, "That's fine." She was uncomfortable with the idea, but agreed anyway. If they needed to steal to avoid their operation being compromised, that's what they would do. It was all part of the same effort, and she would do a lot worse than steal in order to take back Konoha.

"We have a contact inside the hospital in Matsuoka Gai," Shikamaru told her. "I'll give you the info later."

The meeting continued. As the reports went round from the different sectors of the camp, Sakura looked like she was having about as much fun as Kakashi. But while he was bored, she seemed more preoccupied. Her arms were crossed to keep herself from fidgeting. Naruto didn't look at her at all. Kakashi had no idea what was going on, but it was obvious that what _wasn't_ being said in this room was far more interesting than what was.

Every few minutes she would look his way, so he assumed her restiveness, at least in part, had something to do with him. Was it yesterday? What had occupied Kakashi's thoughts most of the day wasn't so much what happened in the training area, but what happened two years ago to open the door for such a moment.

#

_She'd fallen asleep while he was talking. She was too exhausted for etiquette, and Kakashi himself was too exhausted to care. He was surprised that he'd opened up to her at all. He almost never talked about his past, even with the people who'd been through it with him. Maybe he just wanted to let some of it out, to share some of his secrets in order to make room for a new one he would never be able to tell her._

_In a few hours' time he would be setting out on a top-secret mission to hunt down and kill his former student. _

_He hadn't thought he would be able to face her, or Naruto, knowing what he was about to do. But he would rather lose their respect and friendship than watch them be torn apart by their lost teammate. Or be killed by him, as they both almost had on multiple occasions. Sasuke was his greatest failure. Kakashi had favored him, taught him his best techniques, and in the end had tried to his wit's end to pull him back from the edge. It was more likely that he contributed to Sasuke taking that dark path. It was his responsibility to take him out before the skills he'd taught him could be used for further wrongs. _

_Though he knew it was the right thing to do, that it should have been done long ago, it still didn't make it any easier to accept that this was what it had come to. He was feeling at an all-time low, which was saying something, for him. He really didn't know how long he'd been out in the rain before Sakura came upon him. He thought he wanted to be alone but he found himself letting her in, literally and figuratively, before he even realized it. Now here she was, asleep on his sofa, wearing his clothes. _

_He tried not to think about the latter, but he was a man and the thoughts came anyway. Though he would never admit aloud that he was admiring her slim, toned legs (and not for the first time), that was how he noticed she had goosebumps. _

_Kakashi got up silently, went to the hall closet and grabbed his only extra blanket and came back. He took hold of Sakura's shoulders and gently eased her down to a laying position, then draped the blanket over her. She murmured a little, but didn't wake. Normally when a ninja didn't wake upon being moved it was a sign that they might be in the wrong profession, but in this case it was an issue of trust. Sakura let her guard down because she felt completely secure here, with him. She trusted him with her life. _

_Sensing the blanket and the new warmth it brought, she snuggled down into the couch. Kakashi watched her for a moment. Her presence and her simple, honest words were more reassuring to him right now than she would ever know, and he felt a surge of affection for the sleeping girl. Her tangled, rain-darkened hair had fallen over her face, and he reached down to gently brush it away. His fingertips lingered for a moment against her cool, pale cheek. Sakura stirred and her breathing changed. _

_Kakashi drew his hand back as if burned. _What the fuck are you doing?_ he thought harshly. Sakura was beautiful, but far too young, and far too close to him personally for that. He was about to kill her first love. Or Sasuke would be too much for him and he would be the one to die. Whatever happened, nothing would be the same again. There was no point even thinking of her in that way. _

_Rattled by urges and feelings he wasn't willing to acknowledge, Kakashi turned the lights off and lay down on his bed with a bone-deep sigh. He laced his hands behind his head and stared blankly at the dark ceiling, his mind filled with dark thoughts, until the sky through the window above his head turned gray, and it was time to go. _

_#_

He'd been right about not coming back to Konoha, but at the time he would never have guessed the reason. Just as you thought life was about to go one way, it had a tendency to take a sharp turn in another direction.

The sound of movement brought him back to the present; people were shuffling out into the cooler evening air. It wasn't the first time he'd spaced out until the boring parts were over. If he ever needed to know how many barrels of rice they had left, he could easily find out. He knew Naruto sometimes did the same thing. Kakashi wanted to follow them out, but the meeting wasn't over for him.

Once the mundane business was finished, those who made up the central command of their operation remained behind to discuss tactical issues and their overall plan for retaking Konoha. This was where Naruto took control and really emerged as their leader. He was overwhelmed at times by the minutiae of leading a large group of people, but when it came down to what really mattered, he shined. During those few days when Kakashi himself was only moments away from being named Hokage, he'd come to understand exactly how daunting the idea of leading a nation was. Naruto looked to him for guidance a lot, but he was careful not to over-help. Naruto had to get his feet under him now if he was going to lead Konoha out of near ruin.

Sakura was asked to stay, which didn't surprise anyone, except maybe Sakura herself. It was a clearly biased move on Naruto's part, but not an unwarranted one. She was a strong fighter, but she also had a very sharp mind and a unique medic's perspective on the needs and limitations of their operation; she would provide excellent strategic input.

There wasn't much to be said this time, however. They had no new intel, and the plan remained unchanged. Naruto re-explained things and went over charts and maps scattered across the table primarily for Sakura's benefit, as it was the first time she'd heard it. She listened with interest now—Kakashi had a feeling her mind had been elsewhere before as well. In roughly ten minutes they were finished.

Tenzou was the first to leave, to find Kurenai and enlist her help for acquiring the windows. Sai left quickly as well, like he had somewhere to be and was eager to get there. The unmasked ANBU captains under Tenzou's command departed leisurely, one by one or in pairs. Shikamaru drew Sakura aside to give her the details for reaching their contact inside the hospital, and Naruto turned to Kakashi with a half-formed grin.

"These things always make me feel like I need a nap," he said, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Mm," Kakashi more or less agreed, and together they turned to go. When Naruto was called out by Kiba only a few meters beyond the door, Kakashi decided not to go with him and after a brief parting, continued on alone.

Moments later he heard light, quick footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see Sakura hurrying to catch up with him. He slowed his longer stride for her.

#

"Hey," she said as she fell into step beside him.

"Hey," he returned.

For a moment Sakura considered saying something trivial, asking him a random question and then going on her way. But her entire perception of Kakashi had shifted in the last twenty-four hours and there were things she needed to know before she could figure out what to do about it. "Do you have a minute? To talk?"

"Sure."

Sakura could read him well enough to tell that he thought he knew what she wanted to talk about and he wasn't thrilled at the idea. Well neither was she, and he was wrong in any case. Yesterday was the last thing she wanted to talk about. What could she say about it anyway? '_Turns out I'm attracted to you, Sensei. How do you feel about that?_' That would go over well. No, there were other things to be settled between them first.

They veered off the main pathway and found a bench behind the mess hall, well away from prying eyes and ears. As they sat down Kakashi looked at her expectantly, but Sakura didn't know how to start. She hadn't exactly planned this out in advance. She latched onto the first issue that came to mind.

"Why did you follow me, when I went after Sasuke?"

Clearly not what he expected her to say, by the way he just stared at her. After a moment he blinked, reorganizing his thoughts, and gave a little sigh before answering, "Because I couldn't stand by while he hurt you again."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but knowing exactly what she was about to say, he raised a hand to cut her off. "I'm not talking about whether or not you could have defeated him, I'm talking about what would have happened if you _had_. It would have torn you apart inside, Sakura. Even if you believed you'd done the right thing, you would have hated yourself forever. So would Naruto."

She had no answer. He was probably right. The fact that she'd choked when the moment came was probably proof of that.

"So I tried to stop you," Kakashi continued. "My plan was to intercept you and talk some sense into you, and if that failed… to restrain you and drag you home. Only I didn't expect you to move so fast that I couldn't catch up before you reached him."

"_Restrain_ me?" she scoffed. The idea was so ridiculous it was funny. "Are you serious? I could have broken out in two seconds flat."

"I know that." He shrugged. "But it was all I could think of short of using force, and I was hoping you wouldn't fight. I did the same thing to Sasuke when he was about to go down the wrong path. He didn't listen, but you're a lot smarter than he is. You always were the smartest."

Sakura had to smile a little, but Kakashi looked away and stared out into the trees. "That was part of the reason I never gave you much attention when you were my student," he admitted. "You probably think it was because I didn't like you, or because I thought you were a waste of time. But truthfully it was the opposite: you needed me the least." He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. "At least that's what I thought at the time. Now I realize I let you down more than I ever did the boys. At least I tried with them." He met her gaze again, his uncovered eye dark and cloudy. "I'm truly sorry for that. I'm trying to make up for it when I can, and that includes not letting you do things you'll regret later."

Sakura stared at him. Was that really how he'd felt all these years? "Why didn't you ever say any of this before?"

"It never came up, and I'm not good with…talking."

"That's not true," she said, "you're one of the most charming people I know."

"Not when it matters."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that. After a moment she quietly said, "You don't have to make anything up to me. I've never resented you for the way things played out in Team Seven." Maybe she should, but she didn't. "You were a good sensei back then and you're a great team leader now."

He gave her a look. "You and I both know I screwed up plenty of times when I was your sensei. If I'd done things right you and Naruto wouldn't have gone to other teachers after less than a year. Sasuke wouldn't have gone insane and joined up with a monster."

Sakura sighed. "Okay, yeah. You didn't always treat us all equally, and after Sasuke left it seemed like you just kind of lost interest." He frowned, but didn't reply. "But what you _did_ teach us was far more valuable than a bunch of jutsu. You made us believe in ourselves, and each other. You taught us to stick together no matter what, on the battlefield and off." She paused, aware that those lessons hadn't worked for all of them. "What happened to Sasuke was not your fault, Kakashi. There's a long list of people responsible for what he's become, but you're not on it."

He was looking at her the same way he had that night at his place, that mix of surprise and appreciation. He said, "You guys really are the best students I've ever had."

"We're the _only_ students you've ever had," she pointed out dryly.

"Oh, yeah." He smiled. "The best teammates then," he amended.

"I agree," she said, grinning.

It felt as if a small weight had been lifted between them—a weight Sakura hadn't even known was there. It was like a one-sided tension, coming from Kakashi. Had he kept his distance all this time out of an inflated sense of guilt? She could only assume that was the case, because he was a lot more relaxed and unguarded with her than he used to be. Something had caused him to lower that barrier of inscrutability, and whatever it was, she was glad.

"Speaking of teammates," he said after a few moments, "is something going on with you and Naruto?"

Sakura started, her heart giving a panicked thump. "No!" she said, a little too forcefully. "Why would you think that?"

He looked at her strangely. "Not that way," he clarified. "I meant did something happen? Are you fighting?"

Sakura inwardly scolded herself for not keeping her cool, because where he'd been curious before, now he was suspicious. He'd obviously noticed something, so it was futile to claim everything was fine. Overly-perceptive bastard. "It's not a big deal," she sighed. "We were really upset with each other before…because of Sasuke. Some stuff happened that I guess we're just not over yet."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Vague as it was, Kakashi seemed to accept her answer and didn't press her for more. She looked over at him. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"I never plan to be," he replied musingly. "Unfortunately that plan rarely works out."

Seemed like they had opposite problems; everyone wanted a piece of him, and she had too much time on her hands. She smiled slyly and said, "Well, if you to come with me to Matsuoka Gai you could be almost completely idle the whole day."

He didn't even think about it. "Sold. What time?"

"Its half a day away, right? How about five? We can be there before lunch." Tenzou and Kurenai were going too, but they had their own errand to see to and it would be nice to have company.

Kakashi looked about as thrilled at the idea of getting up that early as she was, but he agreed. "Alright. I'll meet you at the gates."

"Okay." She decided to leave then. There were still things she wanted to ask him about, but she figured that was enough heart-to-heart for one day. He'd given her more than she expected, and she had a lot to think about.

Sakura stood, and after a moment gave into the impulse to hug him. "Thanks, Kakashi," she said near his ear. He was taken aback by the sudden affection, as she knew he would be, and she pulled away before he had a chance to respond one way or the other. It was almost dark out now and there were no lights on this side of the building, and she was glad she couldn't see his face very well. "See you in the morning."

She could feel his stare as she walked away, but Sakura didn't look back.

* * *

Yamanaka Flowers rarely had much business these days, so when Hinata visited the little shop just before closing, it was empty. Good thing, because she was afraid she'd lose her nerve if she had to wait. The little bell above the door jingled softly, announcing her entrance. She went toward the sales counter, but stopped uncertainly halfway and stood waiting, trying not to fidget.

After a few moments a tired, middle-aged blonde woman came out from the office. She'd already removed her apron for the day and held it folded in her hand. "We're about to close," she began, but stopped when she saw who it was. "Oh. Hello, Hinata."

Hinata almost didn't recognize Ino's mother, she had changed so much. Blonde, blue-eyed and voluptuous, she was the village bombshell of the previous generation. Now there was gray in those blonde locks and her eyes were flat and dull, lined with premature crow's feet. Her smile was weary and not very warm. It wasn't hard to guess what happened to make her that way.

Hinata fought the urge to apologize and scramble out the door. She _needed_ to do this. A few days ago when she'd communicated with Hanabi, she'd been ashamed to admit she hadn't done it sooner. Her sister had asked her to try and contact the insurgents, and she had promised. She had vowed to herself to make a difference. People were counting on her.

"Hello, Mrs. Yamanaka," she returned politely, drawing up to the sales counter. "I'd like to place a special order."

"We can't do most special orders," the older woman said frankly. "It's nearly impossible to import certain plants with the new tax and trade laws." Her tone was guarded to not give away any opinion; she was well aware of who Hinata worked for.

"I will pay whatever you ask," Hinata said carefully. "Please. It's very important. Some friends have been having a hard time, and I want to send a message to cheer them up."

She was certain the Yamanakas were part of the insurgency within Konoha, but she had to be cautious. In the highly unlikely event that they _weren't_, she couldn't recklessly expose herself. They would also be extremely suspicious of her because of her position with Danzou, and if she just candidly asked around for the rebels they would only go deeper underground.

Either she read between the lines and knew this was about more than flowers, or the prospect of a custom order from a wealthy Hyuuga was one she couldn't turn away these days. Mrs. Yamanaka's interest was piqued. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. What are you looking for?"

Hinata took a slow breath, trying not to look nervous. She withdrew a folded piece of note paper from her jacket pocket, and laid it on the counter.

Mrs. Yamanaka looked over the short list, her expression froze, and she read it again. Zinnia, yellow chrysanthemum, nasturtium, ivy. She spent a long, silent moment staring at the paper, and when she looked up at Hinata her face was a perfectly pleasant mask. "What did you say these were for again?"

Of course she immediately saw the message contained in the order. She wasn't a shinobi, but she was astute—and she was a florist. Hinata was relieved that plan A was working so far, because she hadn't thought of a plan B.

Zinnia flowers represented friendship; yellow chrysanthemum were for secrets; nasturtium was the flower of patriotism; ivy a symbol of fidelity. Together they conveyed the message that she knew about the insurgency and was on their side, they could trust her, they should let her in.

Those incredibly boring kunoichi flower arranging classes turned out to be useful after all.

"For my friends," she repeated. "I haven't been able to talk to them in a long time. My father doesn't approve of them."

"Then if your father knew what you were doing he would be very angry. This is awfully bold of you." Clearly it was a surprise that someone as meek as Hinata would seek out this kind of potential danger.

Hinata replied, "Sometimes we have to take risks in order to do what's right."

Mrs. Yamanaka studied her silently for a long, heavy moment, her face perfectly composed. Finally, she looked at the list again, gave a faint shrug and casually said, "Well, none of these are that exotic, so they shouldn't be too hard to get. Come back at this time tomorrow and they'll be here."

"Thank you so much," Hinata said, relieved that it was over and she hadn't been summarily thrown out. Keeping up the game for appearance's sake, she asked, "How much will it cost?"

Mrs. Yamanaka smiled. "Oh we'll figure that out when the time comes."

Hinata had no illusions as to her meaning. If the insurgents determined her to be less than trustworthy, the price would not be paid in coin.

"Thank you again," she repeated, and left the shop.

#

She spent the rest of the night anxiously thinking about what might happen tomorrow. For better or worse, there was no going back now. They would accept her, or they would make sure she never revealed what she'd learned. Which was next to nothing really, as her conversation with Ino's mother hadn't confirmed anything, only hinted.

She had the next day off, so to distract herself she spent the whole day practicing Jyuuken in the old training grounds once used regularly by Team Eight. Hinata didn't go there often, because it was a melancholy reminder that her teammates were gone and she was all alone now. But it was one of the only places she could train without holding back, without hiding her true skill from her father and Neji, or anyone else who couldn't know what she was really made of.

When the sun started to go down, she went home to clean up. She pulled the leather folio of incriminating evidence from under the floorboards in her closet and concealed it in a storage scroll, tucked it into her jacket's inner pocket, and returned to Yamanaka Flowers once again just before closing.

This time the modest little shop seemed much more imposing, and the tinkling bell above the door sounded like an ominous alarm as she entered. Mrs. Yamanaka was there, apparently waiting for her. Steeling herself, Hinata went up to the counter.

"Hello, Hinata," she said pleasantly. "I have what you asked for."

Hinata had less than a second to register the blur of movement in her periphery before something dark and impenetrable was thrown over her head and she was grabbed from both sides. Then she received a blow to the base of her skull, and knew no more.

When she came to it was pitch black, and she quickly realized it was because the sack was still over her head. She was seated in a chair with her wrists tied in front of her; secure, but not uncomfortable, though her neck was a little sore from where they'd hit her. There were sounds of movement around her, close and sharp as if the room was very small. The floor beneath her feet felt like stone.

'_Come back at this time tomorrow and they'll be here_.' Hinata should have known that meant the insurgents would literally be waiting when she came back. For a brief moment she was afraid of what they might do to her, if they had decided she was a spy for Danzou and intended to silence her. There were sounds of chairs shifting and scraping as they were sat in. She hadn't realized a table was in front of her until someone leaned across it, and then the bag was pulled from her head.

She expected to be temporarily blinded, but the room was barely lit by a single oil lamp in the center of the table. It looked like she was in a cellar, but she had no clue as to where. They could have taken her anywhere while she was unconscious, though it would have to be somewhere they could carry her easily without drawing attention. The room was as small as she'd guessed, with a single door. Between her and the door were four men, three of whom wore all black clothing and concealing headwear with face masks. Only one of them wasn't disguised, and that was probably because Hinata had never seen him before. He was a giant, grizzled older man who filled up a large portion of the room. It was a wonder how he'd fit through the door he was guarding. He looked like a shinobi from his dress and demeanor, but he wasn't from Konoha.

The other three were seated around the table, all watching her with hard, suspicious gazes. The man directly across from her, with sharp dark brown eyes, was the first to speak. "Well Hinata," he said in a gruff voice, "you were looking for us and now you've found us. What's this?"

He pushed her storage scroll across the table to her. They'd searched her while she was out, but they couldn't open it. She would be killed if the contents of that scroll were found by the wrong people, so she'd made sure to protect herself. Hinata decided the best plan of action was to be as forthcoming as possible. "Inside the scroll is a file containing all of the incriminating evidence I've been able to collect on Danzou over the last two years. It requires my chakra to break the seal," she explained. "If you unbind my hands, I will open it."

She wasn't going anywhere with the four of them blocking the only way out, and they knew it as well as she did, so her request was granted without argument. With her hands free, she released the seal and with a curl of smoke, the worn leather folio sat before her on the table. She pushed it toward the man who'd spoken to her.

He opened it and paged through the documents, his eyes growing steadily wider. "Shit," he exclaimed after a minute. "With this information we could bury that bastard without laying a finger on him. Though of course, that option is still on the table just for fun." He passed the folio to the man on his right, and looked up at her with obvious appreciation. "Where the hell have you been all this time?"

"Exactly where she was needed most, apparently," said the man on her left with green eyes, as he scanned the contents of the folder with the same amazement. "Somewhere none of us could have reached."

"It could be an elaborate setup," said the third, whose eyes were also brown, but colder than the other man's. He was less impressed and more apprehensive than his comrades, and didn't look at the folio yet. His hard eyes remained on Hinata. "Just to be safe, let's make _sure_ she's telling the truth."

The three men exchanged pointed glances around the table, and silently agreed to something. The green eyed man stood and moved behind her. He laid a hand on the top of her head, and Hinata realized exactly who he was only moments before his jutsu penetrated her consciousness.

It was a strange sensation, to say the least. Invasive and frightening, because there was no limit to what he could find, what secrets he could access without her permission. Her instinct was to resist and try to push him out, but she tried to stay calm and let him find what he needed. He did this for a living, he wasn't interested in her personal life, and she had nothing else to hide. From inside her own head Hinata watched Yamanaka Inoichi sort through her memories with cool ease, following the trail of thoughts relating to Danzou and how she'd gotten the information she offered them. At his urging she involuntarily recalled the moments she'd stolen files, copied letters and documents, wrote down what she'd overheard during council meetings. She was forced to rewatch, through her own perspective, the way Danzou treated her, the mixture of fear, disgust and anger she felt in his presence. It was sort of fascinating to see how all her thoughts and memories were linked together, how accessing one thing could instantly trigger another. He uncovered the shame she'd felt at her own inaction, hindered by fear. From there he saw the night Hanabi fled to find those who escaped the coup, and that Hinata had been contacted by her only days ago. Then he knew that Naruto was alive and the rebel force outside Konoha was strong.

That was enough for him. He withdrew from her mind, gave a quietly excited chuckle. "She's for real," he said, pulling off his head covering to reveal his face. "And she has some _very_ interesting things to tell us." He looked down at her and actually ruffled her hair before removing his hand from her head. "Sorry about that, kiddo. Danzou's lackeys are excellent liars. This was the only way to be sure."

Hinata managed a nod and a weak smile. She felt exhausted, mentally. Those were not good memories he'd pulled up; they were stained with fear and revulsion and guilt. Experiencing all of that again, even mildly, was difficult.

As he sat back down Inoichi added, "By the way, my wife thinks you're awfully clever for the way you went about all this, and I have to agree. Trying to join an insurgency by ordering flowers has got to be a new one."

The man across the table had taken Inoichi instantly at his word, and removed his disguise as well. Nara Shikaku. Of course.

The third man was more reluctant to reveal himself, but did so after a moment. It was Morino Ibiki, who everyone had thought was dead until he broke out of prison a few weeks ago during an explosion set off by the insurgents. Maybe he was the reason they bombed the prison in the first place.

"That's Jinbei," Shikaku said, jerking his head toward the big man at the door. "He runs the underground information circuit. He was arrested in the borderlands and brought here about a month ago."

"I decided prison wasn't the right place for me," Jinbei said. He had a rough but jovial way of speaking. "So I was mighty obliged when these young gentlemen blasted a hole in my cell block. I decided to offer them my services," He opened the door and hollered up the stairwell, "Oi!"

"Yeah?" came a muffled, and equally boorish, female reply.

"Come on down, and bring the booze with you!"

A few moments later footsteps echoed on the stairs, and Inuzuka Tsume entered carrying a bottle and a stack of shot glasses. She grinned from ear to ear, her elongated canines making her smile just as fierce as it was friendly. "Well, well. Hinata-chan. Who'd a thunk it?"

Hinata smiled back. "Tsume-san." Kiba had been her friend since they were very young, before they were even placed on the same team, and since her own mother had died soon after Hanabi was born, Kiba's mother had been almost like a surrogate to her at times. A rough-and-tumble, tough-love, scary kind of mom.

Tsume pulled another folding chair from where it leaned against the wall and made a place for herself next to Hinata. Then she grabbed her with both hands and pressed a rough kiss to the side of her head. "I've been worried about you, hon."

"I'm okay," Hinata replied, growing quieter as her emotions grew stronger. It was such a relief to know she wasn't alone anymore.

Jinbei joined them at the table, making it very crowded seating. Shikaku passed around the shot glasses. "You should see what Hinata-chan brought us, Tsume," he said, smirking in a way that was very much like his son. "Worth its weight in gold."

"Worth _her_ weight in gold," Inoichi corrected.

Tsume looked between them and back at Hinata. "Oh? This calls for a celebration, then."

Hinata was feeling self-conscious from all the attention, and happy as she was, she kind of wanted it to end already. Clearly that wasn't going to happen. The smell of liquor was strong in the small enclosed space, but she didn't know enough about spirits to recognize what was in the unlabeled bottle.

Then Shikaku looked directly at her and asked, "Drink?"

Taken aback, she blinked uncertainly. She'd never had alcohol before. Not even at family weddings. "Um…"

The older adults all grinned in a knowing way. "I'll take that as a yes," Shikaku said, and filled her glass.

They way they stared expectantly at her made her nervous, and she eyed the shot hesitantly. Think of it as some sort of initiation, she told herself. They had accepted her; it would be rude to refuse. She picked up the glass. The smell was strong, and she knew the taste would be even stronger. She'd seen people do it enough to know she was supposed to take it all at once. So she did.

It burned on the way down, and it tasted awful. But the breathy exhilaration that followed made her understand why people liked to do this. The veteran shinobi were chuckling at her and she knew she must be making a hideous face, but somehow…it was fun! She hadn't had fun in…she couldn't even remember. So when Shikaku grinned at her and said, "More?" she slid her glass toward him and nodded.

He filled the others' glasses as well, and then raised his own in a toast. "Welcome to the revolution."

* * *

Naruto hated getting up this early. In his opinion it wasn't even morning, but still the night before. Morning didn't happen until the sun rose. He'd been dragged out of bed shortly after four to discuss some disturbing news with his two main advisors. Instead of meeting in the command hall they were seated around a table in the mess, sucking down a pot of strong black coffee to wake themselves up.

"This is where our scouts spotted them," Shikamaru was saying. He pointed to a spot on the map. "An envoy of shinobi from an unidentified village. By all indication they're heading for Konoha."

"You think Danzou is seeking alliances?" Naruto deduced, squinting blearily at the spot next to Shikamaru's fingernail. Important information…but honestly if they weren't under attack right this minute he didn't see why it couldn't wait at least a few more hours.

Kakashi had been silent so far. His visible eye was droopy with tiredness. He'd told Naruto last night that he was going with Sakura to town and wouldn't be around today. They were supposed to leave in a little over an hour, so unlike the rest of them, unfortunately he wouldn't be going back to sleep.

"That's exactly what I think," Shikamaru replied. "If Danzou is—" He stopped abruptly and shot a suspicious glare to his right. Karin was crossing the room to the kitchen, a little too close to their table for comfort.

Shikamaru was a pretty mild guy, and it took a lot to get him roused. But he did _not_ like Karin and he made no secret of that. He trusted her even less. After two years among the Leaf shinobi she was still mostly treated like an outsider, and from what Naruto had seen, she never made any effort to change that. Naruto himself knew what it was like to be an outcast and did his best to reach out and connect with people, but even _he_ found her hard to take. In his less kind moments – everyone had them – he wondered how someone like Sasuke had tolerated her at all.

Karin noticed how they all clammed up at her approach, and returned their wary stares with an indignant frown. This was one of the common rooms and she had every right to be here, and as if to defiantly or maybe spitefully demonstrate that fact, she continued on her way at the same slow pace.

When she'd gone, Shikamaru turned back to them and continued where he'd left off. "If Danzou is making deals with the smaller villages, it's almost certainly without the knowledge of the Alliance."

"Which probably means he plans to use those secret partnerships for endeavors the Alliance wouldn't support," Kakashi said, speaking for the first time.

They mulled over that for a minute, and while they were mulling, someone else rushed into the mess hall. "Naruto!" a female voice called in obvious relief. "There you are!"

Hyuuga Hanabi hurried over to their table with willowy grace, and this time they didn't lock down. As their advance recon operative, they trusted her with almost everything. If she intended to betray them she could have done it a hundred times already.

"Is that _coffee_?" she asked with a hint of caffeine-deprived desperation. She took a seat next to Shikamaru and helped herself to the carafe. Bold as always. "Where's Sai?" she wanted to know.

"Probably asleep with all the other sane people," Naruto muttered.

Shikamaru looked at her with a little more interest. "Why?"

Hanabi shrugged."Just wondering. He's usually with you guys." After she'd sucked down half of her cup in one go, she turned to Naruto excitedly and said, "I contacted Hinata."

She quickly told them what happened during the brief interchange with her sister via Byakugan, how there were rebels inside Konoha raising hell for Danzou, how Danzou had no idea of Naruto's whereabouts.

The news fully woke the sleep-deprived men. "That's awesome, Hanabi," Naruto exclaimed. "I'm so glad she's okay."

"Me too. She seemed as okay as anyone can be in her situation. She'll relay information to us if we can find a way to contact her regularly."

"Who's leading the insurgency inside Konoha?" Shikamaru asked her. It was clear he was thinking about his parents, and his father's promise to be a thorn in Danzou's side.

Hanabi shrugged. "Hinata didn't know. I urged her to try and join up with them as soon as possible." She finished the rest of her cup and poured another.

It was hard for Naruto to look at her sometimes. She looked so much like Hinata, and yet…not. They were nothing alike in personality, except for their strong sense of determination. But Hanabi's fortitude came from the confidence of a prodigy, and Hinata's came from falling often and picking herself up again. Hanabi also lacked the sweetness her sister possessed. Naruto knew a lot of hardassed kunoichi who held their place in what was largely (and archaically) considered a man's profession by sheer toughness and fighting prowess, his best friend being one of them. Hinata was different: strong, but gentle; talented, but humble.

He'd been glad but a little disappointed when Hanabi came to them a few months ago—without her sister. Not only was he worried about her, he respected Hinata and liked her as a person. She wasn't the best but she never gave up; there was no way he wouldn't admire that. Those were things he'd known for years. And then she'd jumped in front of Pein to protect him…. In the chaos that followed he never got a chance to talk to her about what happened in those few moments, but he'd had plenty of time over the last two years to think about it. To think about _her_. He'd come to the realization that sometimes, he could be just as guilty of tunnel vision as Sasuke.

"Naruto."

He blinked hard at Shikamaru's annoyed voice. "What?" He shook his head, clearing his mind of half-formed, half-asleep thoughts. He smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Sorry. Tired."

"How do you want to go about communicating with Hinata?"

Before he could answer, Hanabi firmly said, "It needs to be a _very_ secure method of contact. I won't endanger my sister any more than necessary."

Naruto wholeheartedly agreed. "She's being forced to work as Danzou's personal aide," he said broodingly. "She's already in danger." He thought about it for a moment, and finally said, "I'll contact her myself."

* * *

TBC


	8. Dangerous Games

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Eight: Dangerous Games

##

* * *

There was a bear in the lobby outside the Hokage's office, and it was in a bad mood. At least it seemed that way to Hinata. The massive, rather malodorous beast shifted restlessly on its hindquarters, chuffing the air in her direction as though determining her worth as a tasty snack.

Disturbing as that was, the possibility of being mauled was not what had Hinata worried. The bear's master was far more troubling. He was a big, mean-looking ninja with a lot of scars, the kind of man who looked perfectly suited to having a bear for a companion. His name was Kumamozu, he was the leader of the Hidden Fang village, and he was in the Hokage's office right this minute. The other man in there with him was thin and lanky with a sharp, unpleasant look. Hinata didn't know his name, because Kumamozu's name was all she'd been able to hear before the door was closed. She did know that the gangly man was from Hidden Moss; probably the leader like Kumamozu, and that both men had come from the Claw and Swamp countries, respectively, as envoys negotiating a secret alliance with Danzou.

Hinata didn't know what this pact would entail, but the fact that it was being made without the knowledge of the other villages was evidence enough of its nature. Obviously she wasn't allowed to be present at the meeting. Danzou may think her harmless, but he hadn't gotten to where he was today without being a distrustful bastard who never shared all of his secrets with any one person. Even her father and the other council members weren't invited.

So she sat at the desk outside the office where she spent most of her time, and waited to see if she could glean any information about what was going on in there. She crossed her arms and put her head down on them, making sure to keep an eye on the bear. It seemed to have decided she wasn't worth eating, and that was enough for her. If it decided to eat the potted plant in the corner or tear claw marks into the walls—which was looking highly likely—well, she couldn't really be expected to get in its way, now could she?

It wasn't an ordinary bear, any more than Akamaru was an ordinary dog. Keen intelligence glinted behind its small brown eyes, and she was sure it could communicate perfectly well with Kumomozu and that they were great partners. They both wore matching necklaces made of the bones of some other clawed and fanged animal. Hinata wondered if they were some kind of trophy. Kiba had told her once that the Inuzuka clan originally came from Claw country, and had allied with the Shinju forest clan when Konoha was founded.

She missed Kiba a lot. They'd been friends since their Academy days; an unlikely friendship, maybe, but she'd always been drawn to people who weren't afraid to make noise and stand out. She missed Kurenai-sensei too, and worried about little Asumi. She hoped they were alright, hoped they had found Naruto and the resistance. She wondered if they knew Shino had been killed the night of the coup. The Aburame were another founding clan of Konoha, and had always been fiercely loyal to the Shinju. They refused to cooperate or surrender that night; they made a stand together as one of the only organized and cohesive counterassaults against Root, and as a result they had been eliminated to a man. If there were any survivors they weren't here now.

The bear grew alert and looked up from its midday snack of potted fern, focusing on the door with a grunt. Hinata sat up straight and made herself look busy, like she had a reason to be there other than eavesdropping. The foreign shinobi emerged, looking rather pleased with themselves. That couldn't be a good thing. Kumamozu walked right by without looking at her, his furry partner following behind in a lumbering shuffle, still licking little bits of plant from its chops. But when the Moss leader passed he gave her a long, appraising once-over that made her skin crawl; his icy gray eyes were filled with equal parts lust and cruelty. She would never want to be in a room alone with this man under any circumstance. She hoped she never saw him again.

When they had gone she cast a quick glance inside the office. Danzou appeared to have met with the envoys alone, but that was never the case. There were bodyguards concealed near him at all times, in places even a ninja wouldn't immediately think to look. Extreme paranoia was another of his prominent characteristics, unsurprising considering at least three-quarters of the village would love to see him dead, and at least half of those would love to do it themselves. Including Hinata, if she thought she could pull it off.

Two Root agents were silently dropping from the ceiling, where they'd been concealed the entire time. Danzou looked smug…but he always looked that way, so that didn't tell her much. One of the Root agents moved to the door and closed it. Hinata hadn't been able to learn anything more, but from the way everyone appeared to be satisfied, she assumed the negotiations had been a success and their clandestine pact was agreed upon.

There was nothing more for her to do today, but she couldn't leave early unless Danzou dismissed her, which he rarely did. He liked having her on hand in case he found some petty task for her. He was a man who enjoyed power far too much, and sometimes he liked to say "jump" just to make her say "how high?" He would probably enjoy it more if someone less compliant were in her place, someone like Sakura who would happily tell him to go fuck himself—something Hinata had never and probably would never say. Out loud.

The remainder of her shift was spent reading a paperback drama she kept in the desk drawer. Danzou and his agents still hadn't left the office. Or at least Danzou hadn't; his lackeys had probably melted through the walls. She was curious about how they did it, but not reckless enough to try and find out.

At five o'clock she made her way to the training grounds and practiced advanced kata and her clan's specialized Jyuuken for exactly two hours. It had become a daily ritual. She needed to keep up her skills and strength for the day she would need them, but it was also a perfect way to make sure she wasn't being followed by Root.

It was impossible to put a tail on a Byakugan user without them knowing. A quick activation of her bloodline limit and she could see everything around her in all directions. If she focused, she could see almost the entire village.

Satisfied that she was truly alone, she cleaned up in the locker room and made her way to the other end of the village, to the subdued market district near where Naruto used to live. She looked wistfully toward his building a few blocks away. It had always been a badly maintained structure, but now it was downright dilapidated. The light of the sinking sun glinted off the corrugated tin roof, which was newer than the rest of the building because the old tile one had been destroyed during the coup. Possibly by Naruto himself as he fought off would-be assassins. He'd lived on the top floor, and she could see the covered walkway that led to his door. She wondered if his apartment had been re-leased. Probably. There were a lot of people left homeless after the Akatsuki attack, and Naruto's building was one of the few that hadn't been destroyed. The rebuilding hadn't finished when Danzou took over and redistributed a large portion of civic funding elsewhere, leaving many to fend for themselves.

A strip of narrow rowhouses was her destination, third one down from the corner. Brightly colored nasturtium sat in planter boxes below the front windows, and that alone made the house stand out from the other dwellings on the somber street. Few knew that the flowers weren't there because someone wanted to add a cheerful touch of color to their yard; Mrs. Yamanaka had taken Hinata's idea and put it to good use. Every insurgent safehouse now had the little flowers somewhere visible in their yards, an inconspicuous way to tell them all where they could go if they needed refuge.

Hinata knocked on the door. It opened after a moment and she was pulled into a hug by a mass of frizzy red curls.

"Hey, girl!" gushed Moegi, as if they hadn't seen each other in weeks. Hinata smiled and hugged her back, and they went inside and closed the door. Moegi quickly slid all the locks.

Then the show was over and they stepped apart, though not in an unfriendly way. The truth was they hadn't even known each other until a few days ago. This was their façade: Hinata had befriended the younger girl because all of her old friends were gone. That explained why they were suddenly hanging out and spending time at Moegi's house. Hinata liked her well enough so far, but they hadn't really gotten to know each other yet. The boisterous, freckled girl reminded her a little of Tsume, and indeed, the two of them seemed to be good buddies.

"You want something to drink?" Moegi offered. "My mom just made some fresh-squeezed lemonade."

"Sure. Please." Moegi disappeared into the kitchen, and Hinata stood in the living room awkwardly, not yet comfortable enough to feel at home_._ But she wasn't alone; Konohamaru was slouched on the couch, unenthusiastically flipping channels on the TV. His own perspiring glass of lemonade sat on the coffee table.

He raised his chin at her in greeting. "Hey."

"Hi," she returned politely, and he went back to watching TV.

Along with everyone else who was too deeply tied to the old regime, Root had tried to kill him the night of the coup. For that same reason Kurenai-sensei had fled with her daughter who, like her cousin, was one of the last of the Sarutobi clan. Hinata had yet to hear the story of how Konohamaru survived, though it hadn't been easy, judging by the deep scar on the right side of his face. He and Moegi hadn't managed to escape, and their other teammates were killed. Moegi was alright to play along and go about her new life as a fulltime gate guard—an obvious demotion for no other reason than her gender. But Konohamaru had an even harder adjustment to make: he was a kill-on-sight target and he'd been in hiding ever since the overthrow, sleeping in a secret room in Moegi's parents' basement for the last two years. It was a lot of hardship for a fifteen year-old to bear, and it showed. He wasn't the obnoxious boy who used to follow Naruto around like an eager puppy. He was still cocky though, as well as angry, restless, and depressed. It wasn't a good combination. But it wasn't his fault, and Hinata tried not to dislike him.

Moegi returned and handed her a glass. "Thank you," Hinata said, and took a sip. Then she took another, longer one. It was delicious. There was nobody at home who did things like hand-squeeze fresh juice. The cooks sometimes used to make cookies for her and Hanabi when they were younger, but nothing like that had happened in a long time.

"C'mon, everyone's downstairs," Moegi said, and led the way down the hall to the basement door. Konohamaru turned off the TV and followed them. The "secret hideout" was just a common basement rec room with a couple sofas, a folding card table and chairs, and a foosball machine pushed up against one wall. With the way Root liked to search people's homes at random, the more mundane things looked the better. Several people were seated on the couches talking quietly, and all eyes moved to them as they came down the stairs.

The insurgents never all gathered in the same place at the same time, and they didn't always use the same location. The room they'd taken Hinata to a few days ago had been the cleared out storage cellar beneath the flower shop. Moegi's basement was one of the less secure places, so it wasn't used often. Today Shikaku was here with his wife, Yoshino. They both nodded at her. Tsume gave her a sharp-toothed smile. Lastly there was a beautiful woman she'd never met with long, deep purple hair, seated next to someone Hinata would not have expected to see.

"Iruka-sensei," she said, pleasantly surprised.

"Hinata," he replied, equally amazed to see her among the rebels. He smiled at her.

"And that's Yuugao," Tsume told her, indicating the purple-haired woman.

"Hi," Hinata said. Yuugao smiled amiably, but didn't say anything in return.

Moegi and Konohamaru sat down together on one of the couches, and their proximity to each other made Hinata wonder if they were more than friends. She sat in the only seat left, next to Yoshino.

This was Hinata's third meeting, if the first could be counted. That night in the cramped cellar she'd spent hours talking to her new comrades, telling them everything she'd learned as Danzou's assistant. They treated the documents she brought like gold, and her with similar appreciation. They'd continued to ply her with alcohol as well, and she'd gotten drunk for the first time. She blundered her way home well after midnight, and the next morning she'd experienced her first hangover. That had been fun, especially since she'd had to hide all of it from the watchful eyes around the Hyuuga compound. Her father didn't give a damn what she did with herself anymore, as long as she didn't embarrass him. Danzou was another matter. If her behavior was suspicious or seemed out of character with what he believed her nature to be, he would have her investigated, followed, maybe even questioned.

She had a lot more than just her own skin to protect now.

The informal meeting began. If anyone was in charge, it would be Nara Shikaku. He had ranking seniority as well as the most experience. In fact, from what Hinata had observed, he seemed to be unofficially leading of the entire insurgency. Hinata stayed quiet and listened to everything that was said. She was still too new to the group to understand everything they talked about, but she was coming up to speed quickly. The Konoha rebels had a lot of plans in motion, and they had put more of a hurt on Danzou's regime than she'd previously known. Even Danzou wasn't aware of all the trouble they'd caused.

They were everywhere, had someone inside every area imaginable, except for Root itself. Yuugao had been an ANBU commander before reassignment to a desk due to her anatomy, and she still had a lot of influence within the black ops—who universally despised their double-crossing splinter cell, Root. Ibiki was in hiding since his prison break, but he had an astounding number of contacts throughout the shinobi network. Jinbei had even more. Mrs. Yamanaka and Mrs. Nara spread and collected gossip among the civilians. Everyone had a part to play, and Hinata was no different. She was close to Danzou himself, saw and heard most of the things he did as Hokage, and so far had remained well beneath his notice. It was something none of the others could do, and it made her feel proud to be so important.

Her job was also the most dangerous.

The conversation eventually came around to her, and Shikaku asked if she had any new info for them.

"I do," she said. "It's not good."

Everyone sobered as she related what she'd seen today. When she finished the room was filled with heavy silence.

"My guess is he's contracted those smaller villages as mercenaries," Shikaku said.

"For what purpose?" Yuugao wondered, speaking for the first time.

He shook his head, frowning. "It would have to be for something outside Konoha, something the greater villages won't help him with. Something he wants to keep secret from them." He looked to Hinata. "Could he have found out about Naruto and the others?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I can't say for certain…but I think if he had, he would be more obvious about it. He wants to find Naruto more than anything."

"We have to do whatever we can to make sure that doesn't happen," said Iruka. Murmurs of agreement went round the group.

Tsume looked to Hinata. "Didn't you say Hanabi-chan was going to contact you again soon?"

"That's what she said. But I don't know when. It's not easy for her to get close enough to communicate, even with the Byakugan. And then she has to find a way to let me know she's here."

"It would be wonderful to finally have news from those outside Konoha after all this time. To know how they're doing," Yoshino said wistfully, clearly thinking about her son.

Her husband wore a matching expression. "It definitely would," he agreed, and looked at Hinata. "I hope your sister contacts you again soon, Hinata-chan."

Hinata twisted her fingers in her lap anxiously. It had only been a week, but truthfully she was just as eager for news as everyone else, more so because she wanted to see her sister again. And if Danzou's new secret alliance did have something to do with Naruto and the resistance, they needed to hear about it as soon as possible. "I hope so too."

* * *

Sakura breezed into the hospital lobby like she'd been there a hundred times. As a result, no one paid any attention to her. The key to getting away with doing something wrong was to look like you were _supposed_ to be doing it. She sauntered right up to the reception desk and looked expectantly at the clerk.

"Can I help you?" he said in the polite but empty tone of people who deal with the public all day.

"Yes, hi. I'm meeting my friend for lunch…but I forgot what floor she works on." Sakura gave a little giggle at her own apparent flightiness.

The receptionist was bored already. "Your friend's name?"

"Makino Aya."

He rolled his chair to another desk and began flipping through some pages on a clipboard, which Sakura recognized as the master sign-in roster for the day, collected from all the different sectors. He rolled back shortly and told her, "Housekeeping, right? Looks like she's on the third floor today. Elevator's that way." He pointed to his left.

"Thanks so much!" Sakura said perkily, putting on a bright smile, which dropped as soon as the elevator doors closed. It was a slow, old contraption; she could hear machine parts grinding and pulling somewhere outside her little metal box. On the ride up she did a mental recheck of the supplies she needed and recalled what Shikamaru had told her about the contact.

Housekeeping. That explained how Aya was able to meet with them. Her job allowed her to move through the entire hospital with relative freedom, and she would have unrestricted access to the less-trafficked service areas.

Sakura got off on the third floor and caught the first nurse she saw, once again pasted on her cheerful face, and asked where she might find Aya. The nurse took a moment, recalling who that was, and then directed her to the end of the corridor. Sakura thanked her and wandered in that direction, casually glancing inside every open room.

The long, ascetic hallways and subtle permeating smell of sterility were a comforting familiarity, but it also filled her with an odd sort of ache. The last time she was in a hospital she was still living in Konoha, things were more or less as they should be, and Tsunade and so many others were still alive.

In the fifth room she spotted a woman changing bed linens who fit the description she'd been given. Her stature was small, even shorter than Sakura, with a stocky, curvaceous build. She had curly reddish brown hair, cut in a short bob, and olive skin.

"Aya?" she inquired quietly.

The young woman turned around, nonplussed as she didn't recognize who had spoken to her. "Yes?" Then she took a more thorough look at how Sakura was dressed, and became wary. "Who are you?"

Sakura stepped into the room. "We have a mutual acquaintance. You've helped us before…with a supply problem?"

Understanding passed over her features, and she grew tense. "You can pay?"

"Of course."

Aya looked at her watch, then glanced around to make sure no one was looking. As if Sakura would be talking to her otherwise. "My break is in twenty-five minutes. I'll meet you at the emergency exit on the northeast corner of the building."

"I'll be there." Sakura left, going out through the side entry so the main lobby personnel wouldn't see her leave without her 'friend.' She passed through the smaller west lobby and squinted against the sudden daylight outside. It was bright and sunny and a little too warm; not the kind of day she imagined for bribes and felony theft.

Their six-hour journey from the borderland forests had been surprisingly enjoyable, even fun. Sakura, Kakashi, Tenzou and Kurenai passed the time chatting and reminiscing and laughing—something they didn't do often these days. Tenzou told what he hoped would be embarrassing stories about Kakashi during their ANBU days, only Kakashi wasn't easily embarrassed. They were amusing nonetheless. Sakura in turn teased Tenzou about his insistence on using an alias for so long, to which he had no real excuse and _did_ become slightly embarrassed. They arrived in Matsuoka Gai an hour ago and separated to take care of their own tasks: Tenzou and Kurenai to obtain windows for the compound buildings, and Sakura and Kakashi to meet their contact. They had agreed to meet up again at three.

Kakashi was already waiting on the north side of the building. The northeast emergency exit was the same one that had been used the last time the resistance acquired medical supplies, and he'd anticipated a repeat. He'd told her as much, and Shikamaru had briefed her as well. They really only needed Aya because she had a staff keycard that would allow the emergency exit to be opened without setting off the alarm, and would give them access to the restricted service corridors. Otherwise they would have to truly break in, disable alarms and security cameras, possibly crawl through ventilation ducts, which would require obtaining blueprints first…. It was simply a matter of expediency to pay off an employee.

Kakashi was leaning against the wall in the shade, predictably passing the time with his nose in a book. He was disguised as he'd been when he came to find her in Busan, and she wore her old redheaded henge as well. He made no move that indicated his awareness of her approach, other than to put the book in his back pocket.

"Twenty minutes," she told him as she drew up next to him.

He nodded and crossed his arms, continued to hold the wall up. Sakura mimicked him and they stood in easy silence for a few minutes. She looked up at his profile, studying him.

He noticed, and looked at her in return. "What?"

"Just wondering what you look like under that mask. Again."

He raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

She sighed exaggeratedly. "You have _no_ idea. The rest of us have a bet going, you know."

Kakashi gave her a long look, and slowly said, "I thought Naruto was joking about that."

"Oh, it's real," she said blithely. "And I'm ready to win already."

"What makes you think you'll win?"

"Because Naruto thinks you're hiding a giant wart, and Sai thinks you're missing some of your teeth. I'm the only one who doesn't suspect you're hideous." Kakashi stared at her, seemingly lost for words. Sakura found his bemusement quite funny, and tried not to laugh.

Slightly indignantly he said, "Well. You win."

"I believe you. But I can't just take your word for it."

"Nice try, Sakura. What's the pot up to?"

"Five thousand ryo."

Kakashi choked, his visible eye going wide. "You're kidding."

"All these years and none of us have succeeded in seeing your face. We had to keep upping the ante."

His eyes narrowed. "I remember the stunts you and Naruto used to pull when you thought I wouldn't notice. You haven't done anything like that in a long time."

Sakura smirked. "That you know of. We're not blundering genin anymore." He frowned as he tried to recall any odd occurrences in the past few years that might be linked to his teammates' shenanigans. She let him chew on that for a minute, and then slyly proposed, "I'll split the money with you if you show me."

"That's playing dirty."

She shrugged. "Not for a ninja."

He conceded her point with an amused "Hm," and returned to staring straight ahead, into the brushy, tree-spotted vacant lot across from them. Sakura thought he wasn't going to say anything else, thought that like all the times before he was going to brush off the issue of his mask. She didn't feel disappointed; she hadn't expected him to agree anyway. It was just a bit of fun.

After several moments he said, "Deal."

Sakura might have fallen over if she hadn't been leaning against the wall. She perked up like a cat who'd heard the can-opener, and leaned toward him. "Seriously?"

"Well not right now, obviously." He turned to regard her steadily. "Some other time. In private."

Something inside her went all googly at the look he gave her. It was the same look she caught after their spar the other day. Was he—? No. No he wasn't. She was imagining it. Wasn't she? Sakura fought to hold her expression. "Right," she said casually, and looked up at the sky, inordinately fascinated by a lazy tuft of cloud drifting above them.

They fell back into silence, and while it wasn't uncomfortable, there was definitely an invisible _something_ that they couldn't pretend to be unaware of. Minutes passed and Kakashi didn't pull his book out again, and Sakura usually took that as a sign he was still open to talking. About a much safer subject.

"I wonder why this woman is helping us," she said. "Does she know who we are and what we're doing, or is she just out for the money?"

"It doesn't really matter," he said frankly. "It works out well for us."

"True," she conceded.

She hoped it wasn't just greed that motivated Aya, as that would make her kind of a terrible person. Maybe she really needed the money for something. But Sakura didn't really care about the housekeeper's morals or financial situation.

The real reason was that the resistance didn't have a lot of money to be throwing around. What they did get was channeled into obtaining gear and supplies. People donated what they had to the communal coffers. When they first arrived Sakura and Shizune had given all the money they'd saved over two years, which wasn't enough to make anyone rich, but it could buy a lot of rice. Some shinobi in the camp who weren't so easily identifiable were able to take mercenary jobs once in a while to earn cash, which they also handed over. Hanabi was the single largest contributor; she was the only one who'd made a premeditated escape from Konoha, and hours before fleeing she'd divested the Hyuuga clan's private treasury of whatever she could carry.

The emergency exit door opened and Aya poked her head out, looking for them. They went over to meet her. The petite woman looked at Kakashi, and said to Sakura, "You didn't tell me there were two of you."

"Is that going to be a problem?" she asked. Aya quailed a little. Sakura hadn't thought her tone was sharp…but she belatedly realized how intimidating they must be to a civilian in a town that almost never saw ninjas. Aya would barely even look at Kakashi, whose half hidden, scarred, one-eyed face and tall figure were admittedly a little daunting to the unfamiliar eye. Sakura had certainly thought so her first few weeks as his student.

"No," Aya muttered. "You'll just have to be more careful moving around, that's all."

"We'll be fine," she assured. They didn't both need to go, it was true. Kakashi was just along for the ride because she'd asked him to come. But he was more than skilled enough not to be a hindrance, and it was always good to have a second pair of eyes and ears for things like this.

Aya was looking at them expectantly. Sakura knew what she wanted; she pulled a small leather pouch from her belt and handed it over. The ryo inside clinked as the bribe exchanged hands.

Aya stuffed it into her purse and stepped aside, trading places with them on the other side of the threshold. Their contact was going to leave. That's why she let them in on her lunch break; plausible deniability. As Sakura and Kakashi entered she asked, "What happened to the last guy?"

"He was busy," Sakura answered flatly. Truthfully she had no idea.

"Do you know where to go?"

"Yes," Sakura said. Shikamaru had told her everything she needed to know.

"Alright then. Come back out the way you went in and you shouldn't have any trouble."

Sakura turned around to meet their helper's gaze. "Thank you, Aya." The other woman flushed, murmured a nervous response under her breath, and left in a hurry.

The heavy door automatically swung shut, but a strategically placed pebble prevented it from closing all the way; they needed to get back out without triggering the alarm. They were in a towering stairwell primarily meant to be used as a fire escape, but on the second floor it opened up into an employee service passage.

"Who was the last guy?" she asked Kakashi as her eyes adjusted to the sudden dimness.

"Shikamaru. He didn't trust anyone else to remember everything."

Sakura smirked. "Figures."

They climbed the concrete stairs silently, as only ninja could. One floor up, last door on the east end. Those were her directions. The service corridor was empty and they saw no one as they hurried to the end. From her walk around to find Aya, Sakura estimated the hospital was about half the size of the one in Konoha. In her experience most hospitals had similar, predictable interior layouts, so that gave her the advantage of more-or-less knowing her way around. It turned out the last door in the corridor opened up several yards diagonally from the pharmacy supply room, which Sakura identified by the plastic placard on the wall.

This hallway was not empty. A nurse was walking down to the other end, her attention focused on the clipboard in her hands. Two orderlies wheeled an empty gurney toward the elevator. Sakura stepped out into the hall, Kakashi followed and noiselessly shut the door, and they calmly strolled toward the supply room. No one looked at them. As she'd noted before, this was a civilian town through and through. People who weren't raised and trained to be suspicious tended to not be very observant, and it was only too easy for two shinobi to sneak around right under everyone's noses.

As part of the arrangement, Aya had used her keycard to open the supply room door and left it wedged with a folded bit of paper so it wouldn't lock again. They slipped inside, and Sakura removed the paper jam and let the door latch. When she turned and saw what awaited her she couldn't help but smile. Row after row of shelves stacked with everything she could possibly need. Did she feel bad that they were about to steal it? Sort of. But not as bad as she would feel if her comrades suffered and died because they couldn't get proper medical care.

Kakashi pulled a scroll from his equipment pouch and gave it to her. Looking up at him, she noticed something was off. He seemed unusually tense considering how easy they'd had it so far. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

He glanced around sullenly, shook his head. "You know I hate hospitals."

"I know you refuse to seek medical treatment no matter how badly you need it," she said dryly.

His eye crinkled up as he smiled. "Not from you."

Sakura smiled back and turned away. They didn't have time for banter, and she didn't want to say something she'd regret. "Well the sooner we finish the sooner we can get out of here," she said. "There should be bags of plasma in the cold storage over there, can you grab a few? Not too many; we don't want to make it obvious."

She made the sign to release the seal on the scroll, and with a puff of smoke it became three feet long and as big around as her head. She began to unroll it, intending to spread it across the floor. Kakashi opened the cold storage and reached for the IV bags.

Then they heard the unmistakable sound of a keycard sliding through the panel outside the door, followed by an electronic beep as the lock released. Someone was coming in.

"Shit," Sakura hissed. Frantically rolling the scroll back up, she scrambled away from the door. Kakashi shut the cooler in a flash and grabbed hold of her, pulling her with him behind the last row of shelves just as the door opened and the two orderlies they'd seen before came in.

They were carrying on a mundane conversation and didn't notice the ever-so-faint rustle as Kakashi and Sakura crammed themselves between a tall stack of cardboard boxes and the back wall. Their hasty positioning left them pressed at an angle to each other; Kakashi held one arm raised against the wall so that Sakura's shoulder could fit below his armpit, while his other hand rested on the stack of boxes. The scroll pressed painfully into the back of Sakura's thigh, and the other side of her was jammed up against Kakashi. Neither moved a muscle. They barely dared to breathe.

The orderlies remained unaware; they joked and laughed as one of them read off a list and the other retrieved what they were after and piled it on a rolling cart. They were clearly in no hurry.

Which was unfortunate for the two ninja hiding only a few feet away, as their unnatural postures were growing more difficult to maintain with every passing minute. The muscles in Sakura's leg were starting to cramp. Kakashi's breathing changed, and his fist clenched beside her head. She looked up at him and quirked a brow in question. He looked down between them pointedly. Her eyes followed his gaze, and her mouth fell open slightly as she realized her hip wasn't just digging into him, it was digging into his groin.

This wasn't the time or place to dwell on how embarrassing that was, but they couldn't stay that way because it was hurting him. Using all of her stealth, Sakura moved. Instead of allowing her room to maneuver, Kakashi had to press into her to prevent her from accidentally jostling him against the boxes. There was no way to lessen their contact, and his eyes closed and he stopped breathing altogether as she eased herself sideways to align flush with him.

Sakura didn't want to think about whether his reaction was due to pain or something else, but as their bodies pressed together tightly it became impossible not to think about her _own_ reaction. She didn't want to breathe; if she did her breasts rubbed against his chest—which, she noted, was quite firm. Her palms pressed flat against the wall because the only other place to put her hands was on him, and that was not an option. Even when she hugged him yesterday it was only for a few seconds, it hadn't been nearly as intimate. It was a good thing they were comfortable with each other or this would be _really_ awkward.

Kakashi's tall frame loomed over her, so close she breathed his scent with every breath, just as she knew he was breathing hers. He smelled way too good; like leather and warm skin and masculinity, with the faintest trace of soap. His nose was ten times sharper than hers, but she didn't want to think about what he might be going through. Their faces were only inches apart now, and every few seconds their eyes would inevitably meet. Their shadowy corner wasn't dark enough to hide them from each other. Some ridiculously inappropriate part of her thought now would be a great time to see under that mask, but the part of her that was _sane_ recognized what a terrible idea that was.

She couldn't believe she was having these thoughts when they were seconds away from being caught in a robbery! What was wrong with her? Sakura suddenly regretted asking him to come with her today. His dark gaze was weighted with something she was almost afraid to interpret. What was in _her_ eyes? Nothing, she hoped.

And then things got worse. One of the orderlies asked the other, "Hey, do you know where the inflatable braces are?" And his companion replied, "I think they're in those boxes in the back. I'll go check." He started toward their hiding place.

Kakashi tensed. Sakura silently mouthed another curse. If they were caught they couldn't just knock these guys out. They would have to be silenced. Sakura had never had to make a liability kill before, and she didn't want to start now. Kakashi…she didn't delude herself about his history, but she knew it was something he would avoid if at all possible.

They had only seconds. Sakura brought her hands together in a seal and whispered a command. The air shifted almost imperceptibly around them. In the next moment the orderly came around the last row of shelving and began checking inside the boxes less than five feet behind Kakashi.

He didn't see them.

Even so, Sakura's heart was pounding, and she knew Kakashi could feel it. She knew, because she could feel his too. They remained frozen, welded together in their too-small, too-warm corner. She glared hard at the oblivious orderly, willing him with everything she had to _get the hell out already_.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a minute or two, he found what he was looking for and went back to his buddy. Sakura let out an inaudible sigh of relief, practically sagging against Kakashi, and felt him relax just a little. Another minute and the orderlies were finally leaving. The instant the door closed, Sakura and Kakashi were moving.

"Let's get this done fast," he practically growled. He wanted out of here, _now_.

She quickly spread the storage scroll out on the floor. "You don't have to tell me," she replied with a mirthless laugh. "I am _not_ going through that again."

"Nice job with the genjutsu," he said as he reached into the cold storage again. "It saved our asses."

"It saved _their_ asses," she corrected, but smiled a little at his praise. "I'm surprised you didn't do it first."

"I was a half second behind you."

Sakura told Kakashi what to grab and they piled their loot onto the scroll. Two boxes of bandages, several splints, a variety of painkillers and allergy medicines, antibiotics, and plasma IV bags among other things. And morphine, morphine, morphine – a combat medic's best friend. If there was a battle and several people were injured at the same time…as the only medics around, Sakura and Shizune could only do so much. They would kill themselves if they tried to heal everyone with chakra, so those who weren't critical got treated the old fashioned way. Wasting precious lifesaving energy on easing a soldier's pain was out of the question.

Sakura sealed the cache into the scroll and then sealed the scroll itself, transforming it back to pocket size. She gave it back to Kakashi and he pocketed it once more before cautiously opening the door. The hallway was deserted this time, so they made a run for it. Soon they were back outside the northeast emergency exit, squinting against the brightness of midday.

Less than thirty minutes had passed since they entered, though it felt like a lot longer. They stood there for a moment, soaking in the satisfaction of a mission easily accomplished.

Sakura grinned up at Kakashi and said, "Lunch?"

#

Sakura suggested that since they had plenty of time before they were supposed to meet Kurenai and Tenzou, they should enjoy the day and eat in the park. Kakashi, go-with-the-flow kind of guy that he was, agreed easily. They weren't the only ones who had that idea though, and the small city park was crowded with picnickers, sunbathers, dog walkers, and frisbee enthusiasts. So she sent him to get the food—with _her_ money—while she combed the crowded recreational area for a nice spot in the shade. She found one at the edge of the landscaped grounds just before it turned to forest and claimed it, confident that he would find her easily no matter where she was.

And he did, about twenty minutes later. He was carrying a brown paper bag with the logo of a deli she'd seen when they entered town. Kakashi handed it to her, and she eagerly rummaged inside as he fished her change out of his pocket.

"I hope you got something good," she said. "I'm starving."

Kakashi didn't reply to that. He was staring dubiously at the few coins in his hand. "I think I got ripped off," he said.

Sakura looked up at him and smoothly deadpanned, "Well you are a questionable looking character."

"True," he mused, shrugging. He gave her the change and sat down adjacent to her on the cool grass.

Kakashi liked to eat healthy, but despite knowing better, Sakura's food preference leaned toward the greasy and fried spectrum. He'd struck an acceptable balance and picked them up some toasted meaty sandwiches. Sakura's had extra cheese. After a week of rice and veggie dishes, she felt positively spoiled.

She took a giant bite, rolled her eyes at the gooey deliciousness, and said around the mouthful, "Mmgh. You're awesome, Kakashi."

"I do what I can." He turned away briefly, ate practically half of his sandwich in one bite, and turned back again with mask perfectly in place. Not even a crumb on the black fabric.

"How the hell do you do that?" she asked.

"What can I say? It's a gift," he replied, and Sakura laughed.

It was as if those tense moments in the supply room never happened. Though Sakura doubted either of them were likely to forget. They were just doing what they had to do. No reason to make something more out of it.

"Why do you hate hospitals so much?" She hadn't realized it was a _thing_ for him, almost like a phobia.

It was a moment before he answered, "I've seen too many people go into them and never come out. Too many times _I've_ almost not come out."

"Well…" she said slowly, "you know what would have happened if you _hadn't_ gone in."

"I didn't say it made sense. That's just the way it is." He turned away and finished the rest of his sandwich.

Sakura finished hers more slowly, and they continued to talk for a while. Kakashi told her about his predawn meeting with Naruto and Shikamaru, that strange foreign shinobi had been seen heading toward Konoha, possibly with the intent of making some kind of alliance with Danzou. He also told her about Hanabi making contact with Hinata, as well as what Hinata had told her, and the likelihood that they would have eyes and ears within the village as soon as Naruto figured out a way to safely talk to her.

She was about to ask him who he thought might be leading the Konoha insurgency when she spotted a ninja. He was standing a couple hundred yards away just behind the tree line, watching them. She knew he was a ninja by his clothing and the way he concealed himself. Besides, there was no reason why anyone else would spy on them.

"Kakashi," she said with muted alarm, looking straight over his shoulder.

Kakashi immediately caught on. "How many?"

"Just one that I can see."

"Can you tell where he's from?"

"Not from here. Should we find Tenzou and Kurenai?"

"We need to go after him," he said. "If he knows who we are he can't be allowed to report our location."

Kakashi didn't turn around, but the spying nin must have realized they were onto him because he fled into the woods.

"He bolted!" Sakura said, already on her feet. Kakashi was up as well.

The nin was fast, and he had a head start. They chased him deeper into the woods, but after a quarter mile Sakura called out to Kakashi, "You should send Pakkun to get backup. What if this guy's not alone—"

"Shit," Kakashi growled and slowed down, instinct telling him the same thing.

Their quarry stopped abruptly up ahead, and a moment later they were surrounded by seven more shinobi, in the trees and on the ground, fanning out in an arc. It was an ambush.

The enemy nin didn't make introductions or state their purpose, they simply attacked. Six of them went for Kakashi, and only two for Sakura. That was their first mistake.

One leapt down at her from the branches above. She let him come, then grabbed hold of him and swung him around and hurled him into a tree several feet away. The trunk cracked on impact, and so did the man.

The other tried to come up behind her while she was occupied. He'd seen how effortlessly she dispatched his comrade and took her a little more seriously, circling cautiously around her. He realized she was strong, but not _how_ strong. When he came at her with weapons swinging she blocked his downward slash with her fist – and shattered the bones in his forearm. Then she jabbed two chakra-powered fingers into his gut. Blood bubbled from his mouth as his internal organs ruptured, and he fell with a sickening gurgle.

These guys were smalltime; their only strength was in their numbers. Sakura looked to Kakashi, saw he wasn't messing around either. He'd immediately drawn his sword, and had already cut down three of his attackers. One was decapitated. The remaining three circled around him with their own weapons raised, looking for an opening.

Sakura pulled out her kusarigama and flung the weighted chain at the closest nin, who had his back to her. The chain wrapped around his neck and tightened, and she jerked him toward her. He flew through the air and crashed at her feet, and before he could struggle to his feet Sakura knelt and brought the sickle blade down into his chest. Two more to go.

Make that one and a half—Kakashi had already critically wounded one of his two remaining opponents, and was about the make the final blow. And then, from an angle he couldn't see, something whipped through the air and struck him in the neck.

A shuriken the size of a fist, thrown by the nin with the ruptured organs in a desperate final effort.

Kakashi clamped a hand over the side of his neck, but other than that the sneak attack did little to hinder him. He gripped his ninjato more firmly in one hand and proceeded to finish off his wounded assailant. Then he faced off with the last one.

Sakura rushed over to her not-quite-dead enemy and angrily stomped on his torso, putting an unmistakable end to him. She turned back to Kakashi's fight, expecting to see their final enemy fall—

Only to see Kakashi fall instead.

It took everything she had not to scream his name and give away their identities—if the enemy didn't already know. The last of them was about to take advantage and strike a killing blow. Sakura flash-stepped to Kakashi's side and slashed furiously at the attacking nin with her weapon. He jumped back, and for a moment debated his next move. Making up his mind, he ran.

Sakura didn't pursue. She dropped her weapon and fell to her knees next to Kakashi, eyes widening in horror. His neck and shoulder were covered in blood, the upper quarter of his tunic soaked through. He still held one hand tightly to his throat, but his skin was pallid and his eyes were glazed as he struggled to remain calm and keep control of himself.

Sakura herself was trying not to panic. "I'm here, Kakashi." She rolled him flat onto his back. "Just hang on." Gently, she lifted his hand to reveal the wound. It was far worse than it had first appeared to be. The fabric of his mask was torn where the shuriken had sliced him. She stuck her fingers into the tear and ripped the mask right off, keeping her eyes on his neck. She pressed her left hand hard against the jagged gash, physically holding it together while her chakra poured out so fast it burned.

With her right hand she took hold of his. "Kakashi," she said firmly, trying to keep her voice calm. "Look at me." Blearily, he did. She pressed his blood-covered palm to the ground. "Call your dogs, Kakashi."

It took him a moment to register what she was saying. Then he very faintly murmured the command. It took a lot out of him to do it, but they had no other choice. Kakashi was unable to hold his henge any longer, and it fell away, black hair fading to white. Sakura dropped hers as well to conserve chakra.

The summoning was weak, but it worked. Already attuned to their master's state of trauma, eight frightened dogs swarmed around them, whining and pawing the ground. Pakkun pushed his way through the legs of the big black one. "Boss!" he exclaimed. He looked up at Sakura and demanded, "What happened to him?"

Sakura didn't look away from Kakashi. "Tenzou and Kurenai are somewhere in the city," she told the pug. "Find them!"

He looked back to Kakashi and whined. "How did this happ—"

"Just go!" she yelled.

Pakkun ran off as fast as he could. The other seven continued to whine and huff anxiously. "The rest of you stand guard," she instructed them. "There might be more enemies out there." The one that got away might have gone for reinforcements.

It was going too slowly. The wound wasn't even half closed. She could tell from the viscous, clear fluid mixed with the blood on her fingers that the shuriken had been coated with an anti-coagulating agent. It was a weapon designed to make its target bleed to death. It was hardly needed; throat wounds were some of the most fatal due to how fast they bled out. Even medics often couldn't heal them in time.

This will be an exception, Sakura told herself. She had just found him again. She was _not_ going to lose him.

She said his name again and again to hold his attention, to keep him from slipping. He was choking, struggling to breathe with all the blood blocking his airway, which in turn was triggering the instinct to panic. He had lost so much blood he was going into shock.

When his eyes started to roll back, she slapped him hard across the face. "Kakashi!" she yelled frantically. "Don't you _fucking dare!_ You stay with me!" He jerked, his expression dazed. But he remained awake.

It felt like hours that they teetered on the edge of life and death. Kakashi made a valiant effort, but eventually even Sakura's fear-heightened temper couldn't keep him from losing consciousness. Sakura fought on, biting her bottom lip so hard it bled, never relenting the flow of her rapidly draining chakra.

Unconcealed rustling and shuffling announced someone's hurried approach behind them. Sakura paid it no attention, but she did spare a moment to drape Kakashi's scarf across the lower half of his exposed face. The dogs raised their hackles and snarled, but quickly stopped as they recognized Pakkun's scent.

Tenzou and Kurenai rushed up to them with the pug and took in the scene. They moved the dogs aside and knelt down by Sakura. "What happened?" Tenzou asked.

"Ambush," Sakura answered between gritted teeth. She'd managed to remove all of the anti-coagulant and considerably shrink the wound, but it wasn't enough. She didn't have the chakra to fully heal him by herself. She needed Shizune. "We have to get back," she said urgently, meeting Tenzou's worried eyes. "Now. Or he's not going to make it."

He paled, as did Kurenai. No more questions were asked. Tenzou pulled an emergency teleportation scroll from his pocket and spread it on the ground before him. "Thank gods we have this."

Pakkun told his packmates, "Go back. I'll bring news when I can." The dogs were reluctant, but they obeyed. The pug put his paws on his master's chest and looked at the humans. "I'm staying with him."

No one argued. Sakura didn't take her hands off Kakashi or look away from him. Kurenai picked up Kakashi and Sakura's fallen weapons in one hand, while the other grasped his shoulder. Tenzou put a hand on Sakura's back, the other flat on the scroll, and activated it.

An uncomfortable pressure surrounded Sakura, like she'd just been submerged deep underwater. She held tight to Kakashi. Then there was a strange tug behind her navel as they were all sucked into the jutsu.

The forest went silent. Only a large bloodstain on the leafy ground remained where they had been.

* * *

TBC


	9. Mixed Messages

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Nine: Mixed Messages

##

* * *

Chaos erupted in the rebel camp the moment they appeared, when the scroll ported them to a cleared area just behind the command hall. Naruto was inside, and feeling their abrupt and turbulent arrival, came running up to them within seconds.

"What happened?" He paled when he saw the state of his former sensei. "Kakashi..!"

"Make way!" Tenzou shouted to the crowd was already gathering. "Everyone stay back!"

Sakura kept both hands firmly on Kakashi's neck as Tenzou and Kurenai lifted him between them and rushed him inside the command building; moving him to the medical building on the other side of the compound would take precious time they didn't have. Naruto paced them, frantically trying to get an explanation from someone.

They laid Kakashi on the floor. Kurenai said, "I'll find Shizune," and quickly ran out.

Sakura knelt beside Kakashi, never lessening the flow of her chakra. The intensity of her focus constricted her vision and beads of sweat dripped into her eyes, but she was unwilling to lift one of her hands to wipe it away.

Tenzou took Naruto aside and started to explain what happened. Pakkun scurried in and sat as close to his master as he could without getting in the way, shifting anxiously, occasionally whining. Shikamaru arrived, and then was forced to keep anyone else from coming in. Kakashi was an important figure, highly respected and practically idolized by many Leaf shinobi. Everyone was alarmed and wanted to know what had happened to the legendary Copy Ninja. It was a good thing Sakura had the foresight to re-cover his face.

Sakura paid little attention to anything but her glowing hands on his torn flesh. She was vaguely aware of Sai and Genma rushing in, hearing what happened, then rushing out again. She never looked up, and she didn't know how long it was before Shizune knelt down on the other side of Kakashi, only that the blessed sight of her finally allowed Sakura to relent just a little. She felt woozy, her head throbbed like it was going to split in half, and her hands were beginning to tremble.

Shizune noticed. "It's alright Sakura. I can take it from here."

Sakura stubbornly shook her head. "No."

"Sakura," she said, compassionate and exasperated at the same time. "You're going to black out."

"I don't care!" Sakura took a deep breath. And another. "I'm fine."

Shizune didn't derail their focus by arguing further. She understood all too well how Sakura felt, having been in this situation herself. "He's gone into hypovolemic shock. He needs to regenerate blood. Did you get any plasma?"

"We did. The scroll's in his inner pocket. I haven't had a chance…"

Shizune looked to Naruto. "Naruto. The scroll with the medical supplies is inside Kakashi's shirt. Can you get the plasma so we can give him an IV?"

Naruto jumped at the chance to be useful. He knelt down and pulled the bloodstained scroll from the pocket inside Kakashi's bloodstained shirt, then moved away a little and unsealed the scroll, rummaging through the stack of supplies. "Is it these plastic baggies full of gooey pink stuff?"

"Yes," Shizune said. "Tenzou, please go grab an IV drip from the clinic."

Tenzou nodded once and took off. He must have known exactly what to look for, because he was back in less than a minute with the drip and the metal pole to hang it from. Sakura took the plastic tube and needle from him and set up the IV. She removed Kakashi's armguard, pushed up his sleeve, and inserted the needle. When she moved to hang the plasma pouch on the pole, she found she was too weak to stand; her legs buckled and she flopped down again.

Startled, Naruto moved to aid her. "Whoa. Here, let me do that." He hung the IV on its hook and knelt beside her again, putting a hand on her back. "Take a break for a few minutes, Sakura-chan. Shizune can handle it."

Sakura ignored him and pressed her hands to Kakashi's neck again. But after only a few minutes her chakra sputtered weakly and fizzled out. Once it was gone she started to feel the damage she'd caused to herself. Whether she liked it or not, she was done. She slumped wearily and watched as Shizune continued to heal. Ages seemed to pass, but eventually the color in Kakashi's skin returned, and when Sakura wrapped weak fingers around his wrist she felt a normal, steady pulse.

Tenzou and Shikamaru managed to convince Naruto to leave, but only when Shizune assured him that Kakashi was stable and that at this point, she was just helping him replenish his blood volume. They closed the door behind them, and the medics heard Naruto order a guard posted outside to keep everyone out.

Once they were alone, Shizune pulled the bloodsoaked scarf away from Kakashi's face. Sakura started, reaching out. "Hey—!"

"Relax," Shizune said nonchalantly. "I've seen his face before." She caught the look of pouty indignation Sakura was giving her and added, "We grew up together, remember?" Sakura was barely mollified by that, and the pout remained. Shizune tried not to smile, but the amusement was plain on her face.

"What?" Sakura demanded tiredly.

"Nothing," she said lightly. Sobering, she looked down at Kakashi and shook her head. "Sakura, what you did…was amazing. I don't know how you managed to get him back here alive."

"I don't know either," Sakura murmured. She took a deep, ragged breath. "I messed up."

Shizune frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? You saved his life."

Sakura shook her head. "I didn't have enough chakra to fully heal him…because I wasted too much of it fighting. Tsunade would have kicked my ass for being so careless."

"What else could you have done? Stand on the side conserving chakra while Kakashi took on all enemies by himself? That would have ended with you _both_ dead." She reached across Kakashi and consolingly grasped Sakura's arm. "You did the right thing. You _know_ this."

Sakura nodded faintly and said nothing.

A few minutes later, Shizune stopped and sat back. "There's not much else we can do now. Do you want to move him to the clinic?"

"No, let's not jostle him around just yet. We should try to make him more comfortable though."

Shizune rose to her feet. "I'll be right back." She didn't need to point out that Sakura could barely walk and would probably pass out if she tried.

Pakkun approached Sakura, his nails clicking faintly on the wooden floor. For a second she was taken aback; she'd forgotten all about the little pug. His grumbly voice subdued, he said, "I'm going to go tell the pack he's alright." He set one paw on her knee and looked up at her with soulful dog-eyes. "Thank you, Sakura." Sakura managed a wan smile for him, and with a curl of smoke, he was gone.

Shizune returned shortly with a pillow and blanket, and together they carefully stripped Kakashi down to his pants and boots, removing all of his weapons and gear as well as his gloves, outer tunic, and the tattered remains of his undershirt, which had been torn open when Sakura ripped off the attached mask. Sakura gently lifted his head and put the pillow beneath while Shizune laid the blanket over him.

Shizune had also brought a roll of bandages, and bucket of warm water with a cloth. "We should clean him up as well."

Sakura reached for the bucket. "I can do that." She needed to help, even if she couldn't use chakra. The bucket was disturbingly heavy to her weakened arms as she slid it toward her and dipped the cloth in. The hot water immediately stung her hands; somewhere beneath Kakashi's blood were injuries of her own.

Shizune stood again. "Alright." She gave Sakura a concerned but understanding look. "Kakashi will be fine. Try to get some rest before _you_ need healing as well."

Sakura nodded absently. "Thanks, Shizune."

"Nothing to thank me for." She left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Slowly and gently, Sakura cleaned the drying blood from Kakashi's chest, shoulder and neck. Even his silver hair was streaked with red, which she realized must be from her hands. She cleaned his blood from herself as well, and grimaced at the mess she found beneath. She used a strip of the thin, gauzy bandage to wrap her palms where it was worst, but left her fingers free. After that she carefully bandaged Kakashi's neck; the wound was closed, but a jagged line of tender, scabbed flesh still remained. She pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.

Then she sat at his side and simply watched him, really seeing him for the first time. In the past few traumatic hours she hadn't noticed his face at all. Not in a way that registered. All she could see was far too much blood pouring out of a gaping wound she thought would never close.

In a single instant, what began as such a nice day had turned into one of her worst nightmares. The mandatory requirement that anyone leaving the compound carry an emergency teleportation scroll was what had really saved Kakashi's life. All Sakura's efforts would have amounted to nothing if they hadn't made it back so quickly. And they were lucky that the shuriken had landed a glancing blow, only cutting him. If it had embedded as it was meant to and severed his carotid artery he would have bled out in seconds and nothing on earth could have saved him.

Human beings are material things, easily torn, not easily mended. No matter how talented, medics were not gods. They didn't truly have power over life and death. Sakura had been forced to remember that today, and she was immeasurably thankful that the lesson hadn't been a harsher one.

Now her eyes were fixed upon Kakashi's face. It was unfair that it happened like this, especially since he'd finally agreed to show her. Even so she was pleased to discover she had definitely won the bet: he was as handsome as she'd always guessed and then some. What struck her most was something she had never imagined: he had another scar. A thin, pale line cutting diagonally across the right side of his chin. It immediately fascinated her. She wanted to know when, how? She wanted to touch it.

And she almost did. Curious fingertips were poised just above his face when Kakashi stirred and blearily cracked open his eyes. Hoping he was too disoriented to notice what she'd been about to do, she settled her hand on his head and gave him a tired smile. "Hey."

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, breathed in…and suddenly realized his face was bare. He blinked, his mouth closed, and his lips tightened in bemused ambivalence. Sakura watched it all intently. It was captivating to see an entire face full of expression and not just his eyes. It might even be amusing if she wasn't so bone-tired and emotionally frazzled.

He gave her a long, unreadable look, and then he glanced around the room, recognized where they were. His voice was ragged when he spoke. "What happened?"

Sakura told him, starting from the moment she'd seen him fall. As she talked her fingers slowly smoothed through his hair. She didn't think about it; all she felt was profound relief and deep affection for him. His eyes closed at her touch.

When they opened they settled on her other hand, which was on his chest. He noted her bandages, looked back to her face, and frowned. "You look terrible."

Sakura scoffed quietly. "You're one to talk."

"Don't know what you mean. I _feel_ fantastic."

She had to laugh just a little, a choked sound that was dangerously close to a sob.

More seriously he said, "You pushed yourself too far."

"I would have pushed further," she returned impenitently.

"Sakura…" He trailed off into silence, unable to find the words. His mismatched eyes were dark and deep in the fading light.

"You know," she said, attempting levity and failing, "when I said I wanted to see your face this wasn't what I had in mind."

Kakashi smiled faintly. "Me neither."

Her vision blurred again, this time with hot tears. He was fine; there was no reason to be so worked up. But he so very nearly _wasn't_ fine. His life had hung by a single thread, and she'd almost lost her hold on it more than once. "Kakashi…" Emotion swelled in her throat, something inside of her ruptured and escaped in a trembling, heaving breath, and she wilted and hunched over him, her forehead touching his chest.

"Hey," he began thickly, as if to console her, but again fell silent. His hand weakly came to rest on her hair.

They remained that way for a while, silent and unmoving, hesitant to go further, but reluctant to pull away. In those tender, peace-filled moments there was no denying the invisible threads weaving them inextricably closer together.

#

Not long after, Sakura left him and went to see what might have been learned about who attacked them and why. Outside, the compound was quietly abuzz in the dusky evening. The news that she and Kakashi were ambushed in the town they relied on for supplies had spread fast and everyone was on high alert. An unknown enemy had learned of their presence, and no one knew how close they might be.

She found Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sai talking quietly across the way, within sight of the command hall. Collective anticipation filled their faces when they noticed her approach.

"How is he?" Naruto immediately wanted to know.

"He'll be fine," she assured. "He regained consciousness for a few minutes, but he's asleep now."

"How are _you_?" he asked next, looking at her with concern.

Sakura shook her head faintly and asked, "Have you discovered anything about who attacked us?"

"I took out a patrol," said Sai, "to see if we could catch the one that got away or another of his comrades. And we did—less than ten miles from here."

Her eyes widened. "How is that possible? They couldn't have followed us. It's only been a few hours; there's no way they could have gotten from the Matsuoka Gai area to here in that time."

"Unless they already knew we were somewhere in this area," Shikamaru said ominously.

"How would they know that?" An uneasy knot formed in her gut. "For that matter, how did they know we would be in Matsuoka Gai today? How did they know who to look for?"

No one wanted to speak aloud what they were all thinking.

"Tenzou is heading back to where you were ambushed to see what he can learn," Naruto said. "The shinobi Sai's patrol caught carried no village insignia. Since you were using the command building, we've got him locked down in your medical room. We were just about to interrogate him."

Sakura nodded. "I want to be there."

No one argued with her. They were halfway to the medical building when Karin dashed out from it and ran in their direction. She spotted them almost immediately and waved her arms frantically, crying, "He's dead! He killed himself!"

"What!" Naruto exclaimed. "How the hell..? I thought you were guarding him!"

They began to run, and Karin ran with them. "I was! I was standing there looking right at him when he started foaming at the mouth! A few seconds later he was dead!"

They entered the building to find the enemy nin tied to a chair, his hands and feet bound with rope, his body in an unnatural position from the convulsions prior to death. He'd been blindfolded and his mouth hung open, a thin stream of white, foamy saliva dribbling down his chin.

Though it didn't make much difference now, Sakura immediately said, "He's not the one who got away from us." She swabbed his chin with her finger and brought it to her nose, made an unpleasant face at the almond-like odor. "Cyanide. He must have had a capsule in his tooth."

"Shit," Naruto growled, turning away in frustration. Now they would never know for sure who he was working for, or how he'd known where to find them.

"It doesn't make sense," Sai said, frowning at the dead nin. "Why did he wait to do it here? Why not when we first captured him?"

"Do you need me still?" Karin said abruptly from just inside the doorway. "This guy's grossing me out."

They all looked at her with varying expressions, none of them kind. Shikamaru witheringly told her, "Just go."

When she'd gone he continued, "Maybe he waited because he was able to learn our exact location this way. It's possible he meant to communicate that somehow."

"But he was blindfolded the whole time," said Naruto. "How could he?"

"I don't know how, but maybe he was able to…_transmit_ our position in some way. It could even be that his death sent a signal to someone."

They all stared at him with comprehending dread.

Naruto said, "So you're saying we could have been compromised. That whoever this guy was working for might know where we are."

Shikamaru crossed his arms broodingly. "I think it's a high possibility. We should raise our guard and stay on high alert for a while. Send out extra patrols."

"No, that's not good enough." Naruto sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I hate to say it…but we have no choice. I won't risk everything we've worked so hard for, or unnecessarily endanger everyone's lives. It's not safe for us here anymore." He looked gravely at all of them. "Put the word out. We're leaving at the ending of the week."

* * *

Hinata couldn't sleep. It had been a long, emotionally trying day and by all rights she should have been out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. Danzou had made her medically assist three different interrogations today. She'd known beforehand what that entailed – keeping the prisoner conscious and able to speak while they endured any number of 'persuasion techniques.' But she wasn't a true medic and she'd never had to do something like that before. She hadn't been prepared for the true horrors of what torture could do to a person – even a battle-hardened shinobi. To make matters worse she hadn't done her task very well, and Danzou was displeased with her.

She was exhausted and upset, yet there was a persistent niggling in the back of her mind that refused to let her relax. Like a warning, only she couldn't figure out what was wrong. The house and grounds were quiet and everyone was asleep but the guards, who were calm at their posts. All was peaceful and still, so still she could hear the crickets and frogs in the garden pond.

Hinata gasped and shot up in bed, suddenly realizing.

They didn't have frogs in their pond.

She tried to reason why that bothered her. It was entirely possible that frogs could have migrated here from somewhere else, the woods or the park maybe. But something told Hinata it wasn't a coincidence. Getting up silently, she slipped on her robe and left her room, padded down the hall and out into the water garden. The night was warm and humid, the inlaid granite stepping stones pleasantly cool beneath her bare feet. A few of the crickets stilled at her approach, but the frog continued its croaky song. No sooner had she sat at the rocky edge of the pond than the out-of-place amphibian leapt out of the rushes onto a lilypad right in front of her.

Not a frog. A toad. And its unnatural size, bright red color and tattoo-like markings gave it away as a summoned creature. Hinata held her breath, hardly daring to believe it. There was only one person she knew who had toad summons.

"Hinata?" it said to her.

"Yes," she whispered, her heart quickening.

"Naruto sent me. Is it safe to talk?"

She activated her Byakugan, looked around inside the house and out to make sure no one was watching or listening, and nodded.

The toad reached into its mouth and withdrew a small memo pad and a pen. Hinata stared at it, unsure whether she was repulsed or amused. Not wanting to be rude, she schooled her expression as she took them from him – she assumed it was a 'him' from his voice, she really couldn't tell otherwise. They were only a little slimy, and it turned out the paper and pen were both waterproof.

"Write on that," the toad said, "and I'll pass it on to Naruto. Then I'll bring his answer back."

There was a message for her already on the first page. Hinata grinned before she even read it; Naruto still had the handwriting of a kid, and that didn't surprise her at all. The note read, '_Sorry this took so long. I meant to contact you days ago but we had a bit of trouble here._'

Nervously excited, trying to keep her fingers from trembling, she wrote back, '_That's okay. I'm so glad to hear from you. Is everything all right?_' and gave the pad and pen back to the toad.

It said "Be right back," put the writing tools in its mouth again, and jumped into the water.

Hinata waited anxiously, twisting the silk hem of her yukata between her fingers. A minute or two later the toad resurfaced and climbed onto the lilypad again, then passed the message back to her.

That was how it went: Naruto wrote her brief messages, Hinata replied, and the toad used a water source in both locations to act as a go-between, slipping from his world to theirs and back again.

His reply: '_Everything's fine. Sakura and Kakashi were ambushed while getting supplies. They're okay now, but the enemy knows where we are and we have to relocate._'

The pen was still warm, and it occurred to Hinata that it had been in Naruto's hand only seconds ago. Stroking the pen with her fingertips, she smiled, and felt herself blushing. She hoped the toad wouldn't know what it meant.

Hinata wrote, '_Was it Root? I didn't think Danzou knew about you. Where are you going to go now?_' She considered scratching that part out, but instead added, '_Sorry…you don't have to tell me if it's unsafe.'_

His reply made her smile: '_I trust you._' On the next line: '_We're going to the Fire Temple. The monks there are willing to help us. We finally identified the enemy nin yesterday. Hidden Fang…ever heard of them?'_

Hinata gasped, and hurriedly scribbled back, '_Envoys from Hidden Fang and Hidden Moss met here with Danzou three days ago! I couldn't find out what they talked about, but we think they were hired as mercenaries._'

The wait was longer this time, by several minutes. Hinata chewed her nails. When the toad reappeared she practically snatched the paper from him.

'_We spotted them heading toward Konoha days ago…if only we'd known. If Danzou didn't know about us before, he will any day now. It was the right decision to leave._' Next line down, '_Who's _'we?''

Hinata told him about joining the insurgency, who was part of it, and some of the things they had done. It took four pages of the small notepad, and several minutes to write on the cramped surface. She wondered if Naruto was as anxious for her responses as she was for his. He'd never had much patience; she imagined him fidgeting and pacing around.

She sent her reply, and his came a minute later. '_Shikamaru will be thrilled to hear what a pain in the ass his dad's being. Thank you for everything you're doing. And thank the others too. I really worry about you there. All of you._'

Smiling, she wrote, '_We worry about you too. Please be careful out there_.'

Hinata thought that would be the end of their conversation, but a minute later there was another note, '_How are you doin_g_? Hanabi said you're being forced to work for that wrinkly old mummy…_'

She stifled a giggle. It was nice to see he was still the same goofy Naruto. '_I'm fine_,' she wrote, not wanting to needlessly worry him. But she wanted to talk to someone about what she was going through, and so she decided to add, '_I hate it. Every day I'm afraid he will realize what I'm doing._ _But I'm in a key position for the insurgency. It feels good to fight back, even in a small way_.'

'_It's not small_,' was his reply. '_What you're doing is huge, and we're SO grateful. I just want you to be careful. Having a mole close to Danzou isn't as important as your life_. _If you feel like you're in danger get out of there and come to us._'

For so long Hinata had wanted nothing more than to escape Konoha and be with the rebels, with her friends, with her sister. With Naruto. The idea was still incredibly tempting. But now she had a purpose, a crucial role in Danzou's eventual downfall. She wrote back, '_I'll be careful, but I'm really making a difference here. I have to keep doing it for as long as I can. I miss everyone, and I really wish I could see you all. Maybe someday…_'

Naruto's response was several minutes in coming. '_I hope so too…_ _There's so much I want to talk about, but we should keep it short to be safe._ _I'm leaving one of my toads there in case you need to contact me._' And on the next line, standing out almost palpably as an afterthought as it contrasted with what he'd just said, '_Can you talk again tomorrow night?_'

A quiet thrill surged through her. There was no reason to talk again so soon when they had no specific news…unless it was personal. Naruto just wanted to talk to her. Grinning madly, Hinata wrote back, '_Yes. After midnight. I'll be waiting._"

Ecstatic wasn't a strong enough word to describe what she was feeling as she left the water garden and practically danced back to the house. She'd talked to Naruto for the first time in over two years. He was doing well. He was grateful to her, he was worried about her, and he wanted to talk to her again tomorrow night! She would have hummed to herself if she weren't in danger of waking the house. She slid open the veranda doors and breezed inside—and nearly collided with someone walking down the hallway.

Her high came instantly crashing down when she realized it was Neji. They both stopped dead and stared at each other, wary and suspicious.

"What are you doing?" he asked her in a whisper.

"I couldn't sleep. I was getting some fresh air," she answered defensively. "What are _you_ doing?"

"I was in the kitchen. I didn't have dinner tonight."

It was true; he hadn't been at dinner. Her father had even commented on it. He didn't look any happier to be seen by her than she was to be seen by him, and she wondered what he'd been up to. She didn't believe his excuse. He didn't believe hers either. But neither was inclined to press the other about their suspicious nocturnal activities.

"Well. Goodnight," she said stiffly. Drawing her robe tighter around herself, she began walking toward her room.

"Goodnight," Neji replied just as stiffly, and went the other way.

Back in the privacy of her room, the smile would not stay off Hinata's face. She crawled back into bed, but was too wound up to even think about sleep. She laid there for over an hour, mind racing with excited thoughts. When the toad in the pond began trilling again, the sound comforted and reassured her, telling her that though Naruto and her friends might be far away, they were still with her. Eventually she was lulled into sleep, the smile still on her face.

* * *

The sky was a beautiful, clear blue, the sun was warm and soothing on her skin, and the forest was filled with sweet, wild smells and the vibrant sounds of life. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had felt so peaceful. She wished she could laze away every day like this, for the rest of the summer at least.

Naruto ordering her off duty until her chakra naturally replenished itself was turning out to be a good thing after all. Similarly, she'd ordered Kakashi to three days' rest with no strenuous activity, and for once he didn't fight her on it.

So here they were, enjoying their mandatory time off together.

On a day like today there was no war brewing, no hostile enemies lurking too close for comfort, no chaotic rush of an impending mass-relocation less than three days away. There was just Sakura and Kakashi and a pack of happy dogs, idling their day away in a sunny forest meadow.

The first day of her mandatory respite Sakura slept for over twelve hours, waking in late afternoon only to feed herself and check on Kakashi, who'd slept even longer and was still hooked up to an IV drip. Then yesterday when he was able to move around and they both had the energy for a short hike, Kakashi brought her here. It was his favorite hiding place, she learned—no one came here but him and his ninken. And now her. They'd spent the past two days just hanging out, and Sakura had passed a good deal of that time playing and bonding with his dogs while Kakashi watched or read his books.

A few of the dogs were wrestling and chasing each other around the meadow – Shiba, Bisuke, and Guruko specifically were ganging up on the newest member of the pack, who Sakura had first met when he stalked her (poorly) in Busan. His name, she learned, was Choco – because his coat looked like chocolate chip cookie dough. Pakkun was dozing in the sun a few feet from Kakashi; he'd been somewhat clingy since Kakashi was injured, never letting him out of his sight for long. Urushi and Akino had gone back to the summon world a little while ago, claiming their wives wanted them home before dinner. The eighth member of the pack, the enormous black mastiff named Bull, was currently serving as Sakura's pillow.

"What happened to the other one?" she wondered, looking up at Kakashi. Her boots were off and her legs were stretched out horizontally across his, crossed at the ankles. Kakashi sat with his back to the thick trunk of a tree and held his book loosely in one hand, facedown over his middle. The other rested just above her knee, his palm warm against her skin.

"Uhei? He was my father's," he explained, looking over. "He was even older than Pakkun. He retired about a year ago, and finally passed a few months ago." There was no sadness in his voice, only acceptance.

Beneath her head, Bull's large lungs expanded and contracted in a wistful doggy-sigh. She'd thought he was asleep. She reached up above her head to scratch his muscular shoulder, and he grunted in contentment. She scratched his ribs next, and he rolled onto his back, arched sideways, and licked the top of her head with his big wet tongue.

Sakura laughed and felt her hair for drool. Finding none, she glanced up at Kakashi. There was amusement in his mismatched eyes, as well as a bit of surprise, and…what _was_ that? Whatever it was made her feel warm all over.

He said, "I never knew you were such a fan of dogs."

"I love them. Especially big ones like this guy." She gave Bull a pat on the flank and readjusted him as her pillow. "I couldn't have one as a kid because my dad's allergic."

She had wanted to get to know Kakashi's dogs ever since she first saw them as a genin. But ninken were more like people than animals; you couldn't just run up and start petting them or you could easily lose something vital. Kakashi's ninken were no exception. At most times they were sweet, but they were also trained killers. They'd fought alongside Kakashi on the battlefield for years, and as a pack, they could rip a man to pieces in seconds. It was good to have a healthy respect for that, no matter how goofy they acted at other times. The past couple days had been her first opportunity to really interact with the whole pack and not just Pakkun, who was cute in his way, but old and kind of grumpy.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they love you too," Kakashi said dryly. "Soon you're going to steal their loyalty away from me." He shot a look at Bull, who stared back innocently.

She dramatically laid a hand over her heart. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Kakashi returned to his book, and Sakura openly studied his uncovered face. It still surprised her how young he looked. He was thirty-two, but could easily pass for twenty-five. The lines around his eyes were faint and only noticeable up close. Only his eyes themselves revealed the truth of his years, and if one were judging by that alone, they might think him twice that old.

She'd always guessed he was ruggedly handsome under the mask, but his bone structure was a little too fine for that distinction. Aside from his scars, the only thing 'rugged' about Kakashi's face was that it hadn't been shaved in a few days. The silver-grey stubble was thin and patchy too – she doubted he could even grow a full beard. His nose was just slightly too sharp and his jaw line too defined to call him a babyface, but he was definitely on the pretty side. Not model-pretty, though. Man-pretty.

"Stop staring at me, Sakura," he said without looking away from the page, one corner of his mouth pulling up in a lopsided smile. His teeth were white and even – and all there, Sai would be disappointed to learn – and his canines were just slightly more pointed than average.

Her blatant attention was making him feel self-conscious. Sakkura had learned over time to read everything from his eyes and body language; with his face fully revealed to her he was as open as the book in his hand. She loved that. "I can't help it," she defended, grinning shamelessly. "Your face is still so new to me. It'll take some getting used to."

"I can always put the mask back on."

She pulled a handful of grass and threw it at him. "Don't you dare."

He closed his book and set it down, the pretense of reading abandoned. "And what if I do?"

"I'll tell Naruto he was right about your wart," she replied smoothly.

"I don't have a wart."

She shrugged. "He'll believe it anyway. And he'll tell _everyone_."

He chuckled quietly. "You're a cruel woman."

"Only when provoked." She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Kakashi…why _did_ you agree to show me your face? I know it's not about the bet money. I've seen how much a jounin can make from all those A- and S-ranked missions, and you've done more than just about everyone."

Shrugging, he said, "Any money I had is tied up in a Fire country bank account, which has probably been seized by now, so I'm technically as broke as anyone else." He met her gaze. "But. I agreed because I trust you."

Sakura smiled. He didn't mean trusted her not to laugh, or trusted her not to use it against him, or not to tell people. He meant that he could let her in. She didn't know why he'd worn a mask in public for most of his life, but she knew it was a physical representation of a metaphorical thing. She was truly touched that he let her past that barrier.

Kakashi looked down at her bandaged hand lying on the grass. He lifted it up and held it between both of his as he carefully examined the chakra burns on her fingertips; red, blister-like patches of inflamed skin. He stared at them silently, and Sakura watched him in return, all sorts of feelings swirling around inside her.

Like the bandage on his neck, now just a small square of gauze, the burns on her skin were evidence of how close he had truly come to dying. Of how frightened and desperate she'd been, of how far she'd been willing to go to save him. How irrefutably she had saved his life. How close it had brought them in the quiet, restful days since.

Finally, still looking at her hand, his voice low and controlled, he said, "How long will they take to heal?"

They hardly hurt now thanks to a medical burn salve she carried with her, but she had to be careful about what she touched. Shizune would heal them if Sakura asked her, but to heal them up like new seemed wrong right now. It felt like she would be brushing off the severity of what happened. "I'll heal them when my chakra is back to full strength, and then I'll finish healing you."

Kakashi released her hand, almost grudgingly, and Sakura returned it to her side, almost unwillingly. He wanted to tell her again that she had pushed herself too far for him—she could see the thought in his eyes, could sense it poised to leave his lips. But he said nothing.

One of the dogs yipped in the distance and Kakashi looked out across the meadow to where they played. Seconds ticked by, and then his thumb ever so lightly rubbed across the upper part of her knee. It sent a jolt all the way up her thigh. They didn't look at each other when it happened, or for several minutes after. But he didn't move his hand, and she didn't move her legs.

It seemed harmless enough on the surface, but Sakura knew better, and Kakashi did too. That invisible something that rose between them at times was now impossible to ignore. She didn't know what to make of anything that happened between them anymore. Everything he said to her, things she would never have thought twice about before, now seemed to have extra meaning. There was more weight and intent behind his looks. In the beginning she thought she was imagining it, but now Sakura knew that Kakashi felt the same pull she did.

Did he also feel the same apprehension? Sakura couldn't lie to herself; a large part of her enjoyed and wanted this. But the warning voice inside her head persisted, telling her it would turn out badly and ruin everything. What troubled her most was how fast they were growing closer. Had it really been only two weeks since Kakashi bumped into her in that back alley in Busan? They had known each other for seven years, but hadn't seen each other in two, and while they were pretty close before, they weren't _that_ close. What had suddenly changed?

It was okay, she told herself, as long as it didn't go any further than where they were right now. Because she couldn't go down that road again. Especially not with Kakashi.

* * *

TBC


	10. Almost Doesn't Count

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Ten: Almost Doesn't Count

##

* * *

A shadow fell across Kakashi, obscuring his view of the page. He squinted up at the silhouette looming over him. Even though she was a dark shape backlit by the bright afternoon sun, he still recognized that look: hands on her hips, head cocked slightly to the side. She wanted something from him.

"Bored?" he guessed.

Her lips curved in a smile. "Extremely."

He looked back to his book. "You've got to learn to enjoy a little downtime, Sakura."

"That might work if I had a book or a TV or _something_ to occupy me. There's nothing wrong with anyone...no wounds, no breaks, not even a paper cut. It's been so uneventful medically speaking that Shizune took off with the advance party. "

"It's a good thing that no one gets hurt on a dangerous operation like this," he said.

"I know that. But unlike you, I hate to be idle."

"I'm not idle; I'm reading."

"That _is_ idle." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other in a little dance of impatience. "It wouldn't be so bad if anyone needed my help with _anything_, but they don't, so…"

Kakashi looked up at her. "So you expect me to entertain you."

Sakura smiled alluringly. "Spar with me?"

"Again?"

"Why not? The last time was almost two weeks ago."

"I almost died last week, you know," he reminded blithely.

"Like I could forget." Her eyes sobered for a moment. "But you're perfectly fine now. I cleared you for duty days ago." Slyly she added, "Afraid I'll beat you again?"

He gave her a look. "Hardly. What about Naruto?"

"Please. _No one_ can spar with Naruto; he's so far above all of us."

It was true, Naruto's power did border on the ridiculous these days. "What about Sai, then?"

"Sai's out on recon with Hanabi." A frown formed on her face. "You're trying really hard to turn me down. If you don't want my company, Kakashi, just say so."

"No, that's not it." She had such a short temper; she could only take so much teasing before she got mad. He leaned his head against the tree serving as his backrest and gave her a plaintive look. "It's over ninety-five degrees out."

That sly smile appeared again, and she set her hands more firmly on her hips in playful challenge. "Can't take the heat?"

Kakashi pocketed his book and stood up, brushed the forest debris from his pants. "You've grown quite cocky lately."

"I had a good teacher."

"Which one?"

"Both."

They walked toward the camp perimeter, in no particular hurry. Unlike the elaborate, organically beautiful compound which had been the Konoha fugitives' home away from home for over a year, this temporary setup was strictly functional. Tenzou had put his skills to use again, but instead of barracks there were only a couple of longhouses where everyone slept side by side on their bedrolls. There was no command building or dining facility or even a bathhouse. Light and noise discipline was required at all times. Rations were eaten cold, and the only lights allowed at night were covered lanterns. They couldn't be too cautious when out in the open.

Moving an entire army was far more challenging than moving a small group. It had taken a full week for all two hundred of them to pack up everything and leave the borderland compound behind. Though they hadn't _really_ left it behind; before they set out, Tenzou had dismantled the livingwood stronghold log by log, vine by vine, sinking his creations back into the ground until nothing remained but a big empty clearing. Then he raised a few trees and shrubs inside that clearing and all traces of human occupation were gone.

The journey to the Fire Temple wasn't going to be as simple. It was all the way on the other side of Fire country, hundreds of miles away near the southern peninsula, and moving a large group on foot—even a group of shinobi—was notoriously slow and extremely dangerous inside hostile territory.

So for the sake of time and security they were "jumping," the layman's term among ANBU for a large-group transportation jutsu. An advance team of experienced "movers" went ahead, three days out from the rest of the group, to set up the seals for the destination in a predetermined location, while another team of movers stayed behind and set up the exit seals. When both sets of seals were activated at the same time, everything within the boundary was transported to the new location. They'd made their first jump the night before last, and set up a temporary camp under cover of another forest while the advance team left for their next destination. They would make their next jump in less than 36 hours. It would take two more jumps to make it to the Fire Temple.

Tenzou's ability to be a one-man construction crew, as well as the restrictions on activity and movement, had left a lot of people without much to do. Many of them idled around now, playing dice or cards or simply catnapping in the shade. Squeals and giggles of delight rang out from the center of the camp, where Shikamaru was playing alternating bouts of tag and airplane with Asumi in a rare moment of levity, while Kurenai looked on approvingly. It was nice to see him enjoying himself. The boy who used to never take anything seriously had become a man who almost never smiled…unless it involved the little girl.

As they reached the edge of the camp it became apparent that those who weren't making use of a chance to relax had the same idea as Sakura. They came to an uncertain stop and looked around at the shinobi in pairs and small groups sparring all around them.

"Looks like all the good spots are taken," Kakashi said.

After a moment of thought Sakura suggested, "Why don't we use one of the empty sleeping bays then?"

"We won't be able to use any jutsu in close quarters," he pointed out. "Including your chakra."

Sakura shrugged. "I could use the practice. Besides, it's just to blow off steam, no need to get all serious."

Kakashi had a feeling that a hand to hand spar in close quarters on a hot day like this was likely to create more steam than it blew off, but he had no better ideas that didn't require leaving the safety of the camp. They walked back the way they had come toward the longhouses. They checked the first one, found it empty, and went in.

The light inside was dusky and muted, the air already close and humid. Sakura removed her medic's apron and unzipped her red shirt, stripping down to her shorts and tank top. Kakashi watched her as she crossed the room, the way her clothes clung to her lithe figure, her hips swaying gently in those snug little shorts, and wondered if this was such a good idea. He removed his outer tunic as well, stripping to his sleeveless undershirt and mask. It was damned hot, and there was no sense in torturing himself in _every_ way.

They faced off in the center. Sakura settled into a ready-stance, alert, but relaxed enough that he couldn't anticipate what she would do first. She had definitely gotten good. So he wouldn't feel bad about going all out. His tone light but serious, he removed his eyepatch and told her as much. "I won't go easy on you anymore."

Her reply was equally light but serious. "Better not."

Kakashi struck first, in a lightning fast attack her eyes could barely follow. The sheer speed caught her off guard, but only for a second. She twisted her body around to avoid the blow and got behind him, aiming an elbow at his back. He whipped around and knocked her away.

They battled back and forth, covering the entire floor area as they traded blows and blocks. Sakura was petite and agile, and it was easy for her to get out of his reach. At the same time, Kakashi's height and longer limbs made it hard for her to get _inside_ his reach to hit him. The only way to gain an advantage was to be faster than the other. It used to be no contest as to who had the greater speed, but Sakura had improved exponentially over the past couple years. Kakashi could easily follow her movement with his Sharingan, but that didn't always mean his body could react in time.

And yet, he noticed early on that her focus was off. She was leaving too many openings. He'd seen her fight better against the thuggish nin that attacked them last week. _That_ irritated the hell out of him. It was possible she was mentally distracted, but he believed it was something else, something that, as her former teacher, he wasn't going to allow.

The third time he caught her with an opening he would have expected from a first-year chuunin, he kicked her full force in the back of her thigh. She went down, caught herself on her hands and one knee.

Sakura looked up at him in dismay. "What the hell, Kakashi? Are you trying to hurt me?"

"Of course not," he said sternly. "But it goes both ways, you know. Now you're underestimating _my_ estimation."

She got to her feet, rubbing her leg and frowning. "What?"

"Despite what I said before we started, part of you still expected me to hold back. You demand I take you seriously as an opponent but you're not prepared for it."

Sakura mulled over his words, and found them to be true. She got angry if she thought he was going easy on her, but he and others had done it so often in the past that she'd come to expect it. In a way she'd come to not take _him_ seriously. "You're right," she said grudgingly. "It won't happen again." She settled back into a ready-stance. "Let's go."

This time the laxity was gone and she fought him like she would fight against a real enemy, only without chakra behind her blows. Almost without, that is. After a particularly aggressive onslaught on his part, she lost a little of her control and defended herself with a backswing that knocked him back a few feet. The bones in his forearm thrummed painfully from the near-break.

Pointedly rubbing his arm he said, "We agreed no chakra."

"Sorry." She was sweating and starting to breathe hard. "I slipped."

Kakashi stared at her.

She spread her hands defensively. "You know how hard it is for me to fight hand-to-hand without _any_ chakra? Using chakra to fight is what I _do_. It's practically instinctive."

"The best taijutsu fighters are just as skilled at holding back as they are at striking out. You know that," he said. "Are you admitting you're not good enough to fight on a level with me without your chakra?"

Sakura knew he had a point, but she didn't have to like it. He was bigger and much stronger than her naturally, but that was what kunoichi faced with pretty much every opponent ever. She had to be able to compensate for that in a normal way or she could be in serious trouble if she ever found herself in a fight with a two-hundred pound male without the use of her chakra. Still, she knew what he was doing, and scowled at him. "You're trying to bait me."

Kakashi gave her an infuriating, eye-crinkling smile. "It's working."

She threw a punch in anger, and the tension in her body made her easy to read. He grabbed her fist before it could land. Sakura tried to jerk herself free, but Kakashi held on. He expected her to swing with the other hand or kick at him, but instead she spun inward so that his arm wrapped around her, and she elbowed him in the gut. With a sharp, forced exhale Kakashi was jolted into releasing her, but recovered quickly and defended against her continuing assault.

Their sparring took on a new intensity. Sakura was angry now, but instead of letting it control her like with the first strike, she channeled it into her moves with fierce and rapid focus. Despite their tiring, overheated bodies, the speed of their fight increased, as did the force of their attacks. They fought hard for every inch of ground, every advantage. Sakura landed as many blows as Kakashi did, which made him smile through the pain they inflicted. His criticisms had ignited a fire in her.

Maybe he was being unusually harsh on her today. Maybe he was wound up about something else—something concerning Sakura in an entirely different way. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was all of it together. Regardless, he was doing the right thing. He wanted her to be her absolute best because he knew what she was capable of. And pushing her this way _worked_; he could see her taking his advice and incorporating it immediately, improving with every minute. It made him proud.

Sakura threw a kick at his flank, but her movement was slowing down with the onset of fatigue and he caught her behind the knee, intending to trip out her standing leg and take her to the floor. Both of her hands were free and he anticipated a strike there, but instead she hurled herself upward and kneed him with her other leg. He managed to catch that too, but just barely and not without pain. He used her momentum against her and drove her backward into the wall.

Sakura hesitated in defending herself as their eyes locked and they both became aware of how they'd ended up. Kakashi had her pinned against the wall, while her hands gripped his shoulders and her legs were practically around his waist. Fighting wasn't what most people did in such a position. In that moment they were both thinking of something that had nothing to do with combat.

Or maybe it did, if the way her breath caught and her eyes darkened was any indication. Kakashi wasn't immune either, and was currently fighting the sudden urge to do something incredibly inappropriate. His eyes fell to her mouth, his grip tightening on her bare thigh.

Those full, parted lips curved in a flash of a smirk that he should have taken as a warning.

Pain and light exploded behind his eyes as Sakura headbutted him, causing him to drop her and stagger. She didn't wait for him to recover; she pushed off against the wall and drove both heels into his chest, sending him stumbling several feet backward. By the time she reached him his vision had cleared and he met her with offense, a little angrier than he should have been because it was his own fault for getting distracted.

They were both fatigued and had lost a lot of speed and accuracy, and it probably should have ended several minutes ago, but something kept them fervently going. Sakura seemed bound and determined to prove something, and Kakashi was determined to make her earn it. She wasn't going to beat him by sheer surprise again.

Several minutes later, Kakashi could no longer keep his Sharingan eye open. If he did, he started to get dizzy and risked passing out. Fortunately Sakura was tired enough that he had no trouble following her movements unaided. She knew his limitations well, and noticed his difficulty now. She was letting up. Kakashi took the opportunity, and in a final burst of speed and power, he rushed behind her and managed to lock her into an unbreakable hold.

"Do you concede?" He knew he'd won and so did she, but he wanted to hear her say it.

Sakura growled in answer, and tried in vain to break free. She kicked at his leg, but he'd never made himself vulnerable that way and it was no different now. His hold was secure, and she wasn't getting free. Frustrated, she used a burst of chakra to hurl him over her shoulder and take him to the ground. She pinned his wrists beside his head, her elbows locked against his greater strength. Even with her much slighter weight, he would have a hard time throwing her off with the way she set her knees on either side of his hips.

They stared at each other, Kakashi bemused, Sakura smug, and both of them acutely aware that once again they'd ended up in a compromising position. And once again, neither rushed to get out of it.

"This doesn't count as a win," Kakashi told her.

Her smile said she didn't agree. "No?"

"You broke the rules. On purpose that time."

"And _you_ took advantage of my consideration for your Sharingan trouble. It was cheap." They stared at each other some more, neither of them repentant in the least. Then Sakura grinned and said, "We're shinobi; fairness and rules aren't exactly our strong points, are they? How about we call it a draw."

More to get her off of him than any real concession, Kakashi relented. "Fine." Sakura got up and offered him a hand, which he took reluctantly. He'd won the match, but somehow it still felt like she'd gained a victory over him.

They grabbed their things and left the humidity of the building, but stopped just outside the doorway and sat beside each other on the steps to wind down. The light evening breeze felt great as it cooled the sweat on their skin.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Kakashi was starting to feel all the little aches and pains that came with fighting. His arm ached most of all, where she'd nearly broken it. He wasn't as young as he used to be and he'd never had Naruto-level stamina to begin with. It was getting harder to just walk it off. Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck, looking like she felt a little worse for wear as well.

"That was kind of rough," he remarked, looking out into the forest. Most of the other sparring pairs had disappeared, and they were alone in the immediate area. Everyone had probably gone to dinner. Though there were no fires or cooking, people still ate their rations in groups as a social custom.

Sakura stretched her legs in front of her, pointing her toes. "I like it that way."

Kakashi turned his head just in time to see her mouth snap shut as she realized how that had sounded.

Schooling her expression, she stammered, "I mean, it feels good to let loose like that…it's been a while." She blinked hard, shook her head faintly, and gave up speaking.

Kakashi didn't trust himself to respond. He didn't know if her mind was as in the gutter as it seemed, but his certainly was. So much for blowing off steam.

When Sakura turned to him again, she looked him over and smiled. "Come here. You look like someone just kicked your ass."

He scooted a little closer. She grabbed his sore arm first, well aware of what she'd done. He studied her as well, noting the darkening bruises on her arms and legs. "So do you."

Her smile widened. "Hn."

Kakashi closed his eyes as she healed him, partly because as always, her cool, liquid-like chakra felt good, and partly because she was very close to him and he didn't trust himself to look at her for too long. She was being unusually meticulous, her hands slowly searching for every forming bruise and strained muscle. Kakashi had to wonder if she might be doing it on purpose. He couldn't say he minded if she was. Against his better judgment he opened his eyes…and looked straight into hers. She looked away quickly, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

She finished up and set to work on herself, focusing mostly on her knee, which must have been injured when he kicked her leg, he realized guiltily. She hadn't favored it once. He watched her as she'd watched him, and when she finished he quietly told her, "You missed one."

Sakura looked up at him. "Where?"

Kakashi reached out and gently brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. "Here."

The tiny red scuff mark vanished into the blush that spread across her cheeks. She reached up to the spot he was touching and her fingers brushed his for a second before he pulled away. She healed the miniscule abrasion in record time, avoiding his eyes. Then with feigned casualness she stood and said, "I'm gonna go clean up." She blew loudly through her lips and fanned herself. "This heat…"

Sakura stepped from the porch and headed toward the bathhouse, not fleeing so much as making a strategic retreat. She was several feet away before Kakashi called out to her. "Hey, Sakura…" She turned around, a bit of fluster still present on her face. "Naruto's sending out more scouts in the morning; he said he senses human activity nearby that's not us. He wants me to recon the lake south of here. Want to come?"

She didn't hesitate to answer, "Sure." But after she agreed, she thought about it more and added, "But why do you need me to go?"

Kakashi smiled. "You're my good luck charm?" She gave him that familiar look she reserved for dealing with her teammates' antics. He shrugged a little and told the truth. "Maybe I just want you to."

A host of thoughts and emotions flashed in her eyes, but she kept her expression even. "Okay," she said, and gave him a smile. "See you later."

Kakashi remained seated on the steps for a while, thinking about what just happened. It didn't take long for him to regret his conduct. Today, and all the times before.

It was futile to deny his attraction when just looking at her all flushed and glowing from their fight had filled him with impure thoughts. It wasn't even a new thing. It was impossible not to see her, beautiful and strong and amazing in so many ways. But there was a difference between fantasy and reality.

Kakashi knew what would eventually happen if they continued like this. Any one of a hundred things could shred their relationship to pieces and ruin it forever, and the most likely candidate was Kakashi himself. He would end up hurting her, and he would never forgive himself.

It was time to stop. He had to close that door before it fully opened. Sakura would be confused, maybe even angry. But it was for the best.

* * *

Sakura was in a foul mood and it was all Kakashi's fault. First, he'd woken her at dawn to head out on their mission. Second, it was even hotter today than it was yesterday. Third, he'd forgotten to mention that the lake they were scouting was surrounded by miles of humid, boggy marshland filled with mosquitoes and leeches. It wasn't even close to midday and already she was dehydrated, muddy, and bug-bitten.

True, Kakashi had no control over nature or the weather and hadn't known the terrain prior. So it was _partly_ his fault. Well, she was going to blame him for all of it anyway.

Because the worst part of her day was the fact that Kakashi had invited her to come with him and then acted like he wished she'd stayed behind. He'd barely spoken to her all day, which wasn't _that_ unusual for him, but it was noticeably different from the way he'd been for weeks now. The wall that had come down recently was back in place and he was aloof and inscrutable once again. Sakura had asked him what was wrong at least five times. The first time she got a '_nothing_,' and the rest he didn't answer at all. She couldn't stand this sudden reversal, and couldn't help but think she had done something to cause it. His refusal to talk about it only confirmed it in her mind. At this point she was equal parts worried and angry.

But now wasn't the time to try and force it out of him. They'd been following an unknown grouping of human tracks for about twenty minutes and were probably about to get in a fight. The day was just getting better and better.

"One broke off to the west," Kakashi said up ahead. He stopped, shielding his eyes with a hand as he looked in both directions.

"Do you want to split up?" Sakura asked, drawing up beside him. She squinted up at his profile, positioning herself so that his taller form blocked the sun.

He shook his head. "We should stay together. We don't know what's out here."

Sakura silently agreed, thinking about the ambush last week. "What about Pakkun? He could follow one trail," she suggested.

He nodded and knelt down. "Good idea." In a few moments the pug was with them. Kakashi instructed him to follow the tracks that led away and report anything he found. With a snort of agreement the ninken took off running. Kakashi and Sakura resumed following the southbound tracks.

They were currently on the north end of the lake, slowly skirting its western side. The lake itself was about a half mile at its widest point, surrounded by boggy forest to the north—where they'd come from—and flat marshlands to the south and east. West was the only human-friendly terrain, and that was where their quarry was heading. It was a good place, for example, to set up a base camp. It might just be a group of civilians on a fowling excursion, but Sakura doubted it. They were rarely that lucky.

"We're getting close," Kakashi announced. "These tracks are only a few minutes old. They're in no hurry, which means they're not aware of us." They increased their pace.

"Let's hope they haven't met up with friends," Sakura muttered.

"If they have we'll fall back and return with a full team," he said. "If it's something we can handle by ourselves…we'll try to take one captive. We need to know how hostiles keep ending up wherever we are."

Sakura's mood darkened even further at that. It was becoming apparent to everyone what was behind these seemingly coincidental encounters, and it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Taking a prisoner for interrogation might shed some light on the situation…providing he didn't kill himself like the last one.

Ten minutes later they found what they were looking for. Hidden in a strand of bulrushes taller than Kakashi's head was a small bivouac site. Two foreign shinobi squatted over a cold fire pit, talking too quietly to be heard at a distance, but they appeared to be debating whether or not to light a fire. The one arguing against it was probably the one they'd been following. Although he hadn't caught on to his tail, if he was any decent kind of ninja his instincts would have warned him something was amiss.

Sakura and Kakashi silently crept closer, careful not to disturb any waterfowl or other resident creatures that would give their position away. They stopped about a hundred feet from the camp and crouched down to confer.

"There's only two of them," Sakura whispered.

"Plus the one that went west," Kakashi whispered back.

"Two against two as it stands now," she said. "Good odds."

Kakashi nodded faintly. "Even better if the third doesn't come back for a while."

"At least long enough to take a prisoner and get out of here." Sakura peered through the tall grass at the two nin, sizing them up as potential opponents. "I'll take mister-gotta-have-a-fire, you take the other one."

At Kakashi's signal they rushed the camp. Sakura jumped the crouched nin from behind and tried to choke him out before he was able to fight back. He grabbed onto her forearm, and what felt like an electrical current shot painfully through her entire body, forcing her to let go. Still reeling, she backed up and faced off with him. Whatever that was, she was not letting him touch her again.

Kakashi had his hands full with their intended captive, who turned out to be a water jutsu user—and unfortunately they were surrounded by his element. He was trying to hammer Kakashi with a twisting spiral of water that looked like it was meant to drive through enemies like a spear. Kakashi counterattacked with a fire jutsu that set the rushes around them ablaze. They were too wet to burn fully, and the area filled with smoke.

Sakura dove to the side and rolled through the mud as her opponent launched his own fire jutsu at her. She was pretty sure his first attack had been lightning-based, which meant he was dual-natured and likely jounin-level. These were no routine scouts out in the wilderness. They were high level shinobi with a specific purpose—and the odds were high that it had something to do with the Konoha rebels. She pulled two kunai from her boot and threw them. He deflected them with his own.

Sakura decided to use her strength to her advantage and charge him. He would think she'd made a critical error by coming at him in such an obvious way, especially with her smaller size. No one ever expected the lightest tap of her finger to pack bone-crushing strength.

Just then Kakashi's opponent shouted something to Sakura's in a different language and her target did the unexpected; he ran.

"He's going for help!" Kakashi shouted to her.

"I'm on it!" she said, already running after the fleeing nin.

She chased him east, out across the lake. Perfect chakra control gave her better footing on the water's surface, and she quickly caught up to him and attacked with a flying kick. He ducked, and continued to evade as she came at him relentlessly. All she needed was one good hit in the right spot and it was over. She got it when he blocked her kick with his own—his knee shattered against her chakra-powered leg and he went down, losing his control and plunging beneath the surface. Before Sakura could go after him he was back up and sent another fire jutsu at her. She leapt aside and went for him again. He hurled another jutsu at her.

Realizing she wasn't going to get close again, she pulled out her kusarigama and spun the chain over her head. The enemy nin's eyes widened in alarm as he realized he couldn't evade her weapon with his broken leg. He pulled a kunai and managed to block her first strike, but he wasn't able to block the second one. He quickly sank into the lake. Jutsu were still clashing together back at the campsite, and Sakura started to run back and help Kakashi finish it.

A sharp whizzing reached her ears and something hit her in the back of her right shoulder so hard it nearly took her down. Searing pain lanced through her back and upper arm. Sakura looked back at herself in dismay and saw a bolt sticking out of her shoulder blade. She'd been shot.

Somewhere out there in the rushes and scrub was the third nin, with a crossbow. Sakura released the chakra in her feet and dropped under the cover of the water. A second bolt whizzed past inches from her side and plunked into the lake. She swam hard for the opposite shore, trying to get out of the sniper's range and back to Kakashi. She hadn't had time to take a full breath and her lungs were already burning, but surfacing too soon could mean death.

Her back burned as well, which was to be expected when you tried to swim with a bolt in your shoulder. But under the burn was an alarming tingle that made her feel weak and dizzy and nauseous.

Panic shot through her as she recognized the signs of poison.

Sakura flooded her chakra reserves to the wound, starting the healing process now because she feared she wasn't going to remain conscious for long. She had to reach the shore, but the water was so cold…shouldn't it be warmer in summer? Her limbs felt heavy, and it was getting harder to swim. Why was she swimming? Wasn't she supposed to be looking for something? Kakashi, she recalled hazily. That's right. She needed to find Kakashi.

Her last thought was that Kakashi didn't like to swim…so wasn't it odd to look for him underwater? And then she was sinking into the cold black depths of the lake.

* * *

Kakashi finished binding his captive with chakra wires, ignoring the hateful glare from the gagged nin. He was more concerned about what was happening with Sakura. The sounds of fighting in the distance had disappeared and she still hadn't returned. She shouldn't have had much of a problem with that guy…unless he'd managed to reach help. Pakkun had been on the trail of the third nin but he hadn't reported back. It was possible there were more than three and they'd come upon their camp when the rest were away.

He secured the ends of the wire and summoned the rest of his dogs. "Shiba. Bisuke," he said, "Stay here and guard this guy. Call out if anything happens. The rest of you find Sakura."

The pack picked up her scent within seconds and took off, Kakashi following right behind them. The trail didn't go far; her tracks stopped at the water's edge. There was no sign of Sakura or the man she'd been fighting. The lake was half a mile wide; it was unlikely that they could have crossed or gone around it in such a short time.

His Sharingan eye caught a blur of movement before his ears picked up the sound. The dogs heard it though, and all of them jumped away as a bolt from a crossbow thunked into the mud near where Kakashi had stood.

Suddenly he knew what had happened to Sakura.

There was no time to deal with the sniper who was, based on the bolt's trajectory, somewhere on the south side of the lake. He told his dogs "Get him," and they ran growling into the brush. Kakashi took a deep breath and dove into the water.

It was so dark and murky he could barely see his hands in front of him. He closed his right eye and focused with his Sharingan, looking for that dim red haze of chakra that surrounded all shinobi. Normally it was too faint to see clearly, but in dark surroundings like this…. Kakashi prayed for that tiny spark of color, because if he didn't find it, it would only mean one thing. Cold dread pulsed through him at the thought.

He searched and searched and found nothing. Soon he would have to resurface for air…but Sakura might be drowning or mortally injured. Every second counted.

There! Ignoring the burning in his lungs and the weight of his clothing and weapons, he pushed toward that weak blot of red. As he got closer the shape became human; pale white limbs and even paler hair, long pink strands turned greenish-white in the murky water. She was alive but fading fast, her chakra receding from her limbs into her core as her life-force dwindled.

Kakashi grabbed hold of her and swam to the surface with all his strength, lightheaded and gasping for air as he broke the surface. He hauled her to the shore and turned her in his arms so she faced him.

She wasn't breathing. He turned her further and examined the bolt in her shoulder blade. He needed to remove it in order to lay her flat, but doing so could be equally fatal. Hesitating only a moment, Kakashi made the choice and quickly pulled the bolt free. Sakura didn't react at all; no murmur of pain, not even a twitch of her closed eyelids. He laid her out and began chest compressions.

"Come on, Sakura!" he growled, fighting down panic. Seconds ticked by in what felt like an eternity. Finally, Sakura choked weakly and spit up a mouthful of water, her head lolling to the side. She started to breathe again, but other than that she remained unresponsive.

Somewhere off to his right a pair of ducks took flight in a quacking frenzy and the sounds of choked screams and vicious snarls reached his ears. His dogs had found the sniper.

"Sakura," he urged, gathering her into his arms. He held her chin between his fingers, shook her firmly but gently. "Sakura!" Nothing. Something else was wrong. She'd been hit in a non-vital area and there hadn't been much blood around her in the water that he could see, in fact the cold water would have slowed the bleeding. He turned her and stuck his fingers into the tear in her shirt, ripping it open further. Angry red veins streaked from the wound, standing out in stark contrast against her too-pale skin. The bolt had been poisoned.

His Sharingan could just make out her chakra coalesced densely around the wound, and he realized she'd begun to heal herself before she lost consciousness. But would it be enough? Still holding her against him with one arm, Kakashi reached into his tunic…and pulled out the sodden, ink-smeared ruin that had once been their teleportation scroll.

"Fuck!" he cursed loudly, furious with himself. He hadn't thought about the scroll in his pocket before diving into the water; he'd been too consumed with the need to find Sakura. These scrolls were makeshift, hastily written and not water-sealed. How could he have been so stupid?

He could only hope his carelessness wouldn't cost Sakura her life.

Kakashi whistled sharply. His dogs appeared from the brush and bounded over, muddy to their bellies, their muzzles stained red. Shiba and Bisuke joined them moments later. The ninken had become quite fond of Sakura recently, and they began to whine and fret when they caught the scent of her blood.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Guruko.

Urushi was closest and touched his nose to her cold skin. "She's poisoned."

Kakashi looked to Shiba and Bisuke. "Where's the prisoner?"

"We dragged him into the reeds a ways from their camp," said Bisuke. Shiba added, "He's well hidden and gagged. No one will find him."

Kakashi nodded. "Stay here. I'll send someone to get him as soon as possible. If you're discovered by his comrades leave him there and report back to me." They nodded and loped away. "Urushi, Choco. I need you to contact Naruto's toads and have them relay what happened. Tell Naruto to send for Shizune immediately, and send someone to meet us on the way if possible. The rest of you find Pakkun and then return home."

The dogs scattered to their assigned tasks. Kakashi gathered Sakura up and shifted her onto his back. Then he ran like the wind.

It had taken hours at a moderate pace to reach the lake from the rebel camp. Kakashi made it back in less than half the time. He was moving so fast he almost passed the party that came to meet him, and only slowed when they called out to him. Kiba and Karin, both trackers, one of whom had knowledge of healing. And Naruto himself. A dangerous and reckless move, but Kakashi didn't need to have been there to know there was no stopping him.

He laid Sakura on the ground and rolled her onto her left side, exposing the wound as Karin knelt over her. "I'm not like her," she said brusquely, "but I'll try. It looks like she already started healing herself before she passed out. That'll probably help her more than anything I can do."

As Karin cleaned and bandaged the wound and applied a goopy, foul-smelling poultice she said would help draw out the poison, Naruto knelt beside him and said, "Tell me how this happened, Kakashi."

There was a hint of accusation in his voice. It was nothing compared to what was going on in Kakashi's own head. "I'm not really sure how," he admitted, and began to relate what happened as he knew it.

When Karin had done all she could for the time being, Kakashi picked Sakura up again. She was still completely unresponsive, and now her skin was hot with fever. Dark shadows ringed her closed eyes.

"Let me take her," Naruto said. "You're exhausted."

Kakashi hadn't realized how true that was until this moment. His chakra was all but drained, and he hadn't stopped or slowed in hours. Reluctantly, he helped settle Sakura onto Naruto's back, and then they hurried the rest of the way back to camp.

They'd had time to prepare; Tenzou had made a small hut for Sakura so she would be comfortable and undisturbed. They laid her on the bed and Karin fetched some supplies from the medics' storage scrolls. She also tried to push a little of her chakra into the wound, but her chakra was weak and ineffective next to Sakura's own, she admitted grudgingly, so after doing what she could by traditional means, she left.

Shikamaru and Tenzou were waiting outside, and Naruto and Kakashi stepped out to join them. A cloud of cigarette smoke surrounded them, and the pungent odor immediately gave Kakashi a headache, but he kept his expression neutral and said nothing. He knew why Shikamaru continued to do it when he was smart enough to know all the reasons why a ninja shouldn't smoke. He'd suffered a series of devastating losses in a short span of years, and no one could begrudge him this crutch. Kakashi had had more than his fair share of loss himself, and he'd dealt with it in his own way.

They clustered together and Kakashi repeated what he'd told Naruto on the way back. "The shinobi we encountered wore insignia of Hidden Moss."

The news didn't surprise anyone. "Moss and Fang…" Shikamaru mused.

"Hinata said they'd made a deal with Danzou," said Naruto.

"Which means Danzou knows we're in Fire country and he knows we're on the move," Kakashi said. "These were too highly skilled to be scouts. They were likely on a mission against us. We took one captive, but I had to leave him behind. Two of my ninken are guarding him."

"I'll take Kiba and we'll bring him back for questioning," Tenzou said. Naruto agreed, and he left quickly.

"It can't be a coincidence that they're so close. They weren't just searching the area hoping to find us; they know where we are," Shikamaru said, scowling.

Naruto wore a matching scowl. "You think they're tracking us somehow?"

"No," he answered darkly. "I think we have a spy among us."

There it was. The words no one had wanted to say, though they had all suspected since the incident in Matsuoka Gai.

"But Sakura and Shizune were the last to join us," Naruto said. "If there's been a spy here all this time, why are they only acting now?"

"Maybe they were waiting for specific orders," Shikamaru mused. "We can't know until we find them."

Naruto's fists clenched at his sides, and a dangerous glint came into his eyes. "Whoever is responsible for this happening to Sakura, I'll…"

Kakashi couldn't agree more; the same rage was burning its way through his insides. Gods forbid if Sakura died…. Even if she didn't, he would find this mole and make them pay. Slowly and thoroughly. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked Naruto, "How long until Shizune makes it back?"

"She turned back as soon as Gamakichi contacted her, but the advance team is almost two days out." He ran a hand through his hair. "From now on only one medic is allowed to leave the camp at any given time. It's just _stupid_ for them both to go out in the field."

Kakashi looked at the ground. Naruto wasn't exactly blaming him; he'd known Sakura was leaving and he'd okayed it himself. But the guilt still hit home. This was his fault. He'd taken Sakura out to the lake on a personal whim when it wasn't necessary, and then he'd failed to keep her safe. They could have observed the enemy camp longer, gotten a better idea of what they were dealing with. He could have done any number of things differently.

"This has delayed us by several days at least," Shikamaru said. "Sakura can't be moved in her condition, especially not by jumping. Teleportation is hard enough on our systems without injuries. It could possibly make her worse." He stubbed his cigarette out and immediately lit another one. Though there was distance between them lately, he did care about Sakura and was as worried for her as everyone else. He inhaled a deep drag, exhaled heavily. "Until she's recovered we're sitting ducks out here."

"Put the word out that we're on lockdown, and increase the guard," Naruto told him. "No one leaves the perimeter for any reason." He sighed and looked off into the distance, as though searching for their hidden enemies. "Let's hope we're not attacked."

When Shikamaru left to secure the camp, Kakashi and Naruto went back inside, where their teammate fought for her life. Sakura was ghostly pale under the dim light of a single lantern, her skin clammy and beaded with sweat, fever raging through her body as it struggled to fight off the poison. There was no change in her. No worse…but no better either.

They sat at her bedside in silence, and Naruto held her hand between his. After a while he looked at Kakashi, and in a hushed voice asked, "Why did you take Sakura with you today?"

"For company," he answered honestly.

Naruto studied him. "You guys have been hanging out a lot lately."

Kakashi said nothing.

"Good," Naruto continued, nodding to himself. "She needs someone to…be there for her. She doesn't show it, but she's hurting." He looked back to Sakura, worry and affection on his face. "Losing Tsunade-baa…and Ino…and then being on the run for the last two years, searching for us without knowing if we were even alive. Even before that, she was—" He shook his head. "She's got this hard shell around her. I want to help her, but…I'm not the right one this time."

Something in his tone caught Kakashi's attention. "What happened between you?"

Naruto didn't answer right away, obviously uncomfortable. "It's complicated," he said guardedly. "Ask her, if she wants to tell you."

"I did. She brushed it off."

Naruto gave a small smile. "She's good at that, isn't she? Almost as good as you are."

Kakashi had no response for that, and they fell into silence. Several minutes later Naruto sighed and said, "I hate to leave her, but I have to try and find out who or what is at the center of all this."

"I'll stay with her." He had no intention of leaving Sakura's side until her condition improved. He didn't even want to think about her taking a turn for the worse. Naruto left, and Kakashi settled himself next to the head of her bed, his back against the wall, and waited.

How many hours passed…six? Twelve? A full day? Kakashi had no idea. He dozed fitfully for a while, unable to keep himself awake. He had to change the oil cartridge in the lantern once, and he redressed Sakura's wound himself. Sai rushed in at some point, freshly returned from his own recon, demanding to know what happened. Though clearly worried, he didn't stay long. Pragmatic to a fault, he saw no point in hovering over Sakura's bedside until her condition changed.

Naruto brought a plate of food, which Kakashi didn't touch, and told him Tenzou had returned with the captive and they were questioning him, but it was going slowly because Tenzou's knowledge of the guy's language was limited and the nin refused or couldn't speak theirs. Kakashi had planned on being part of the interrogation, but now he couldn't bring himself to leave Sakura's side in case something changed while he was away. There was nothing he could do that Tenzou couldn't handle. Kakashi needed to be here when she woke up. She _would_ wake up.

Shizune's return was a godsend. The second she arrived at camp she rushed straight to Sakura's side. Kakashi learned then that it was late afternoon on the second day. Shizune had made it back almost a full day earlier than expected because as soon as Sai learned what happened, he'd gone to find her and brought her back on one of his ink birds.

"The healing she started on herself managed to halt the spread of the poison almost completely," Shizune explained as Sakura's teammates all crowded around her. "It put her in a kind of stasis, preventing her from getting worse. It wasn't enough to heal her…but it's what kept her alive."

"So she'll be alright?" Naruto asked anxiously.

Shizune nodded. "I've extracted the poison and healed the wound. Once her fever breaks, she'll wake up, probably tomorrow, possibly even sometime tonight. Her own chakra is still working, and now that the poison's gone she'll heal even more quickly." She stood slowly, and it was obvious that her long run followed by hours of complex healing had exhausted her.

Naruto stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. It startled her, but she didn't resist. "Thanks, nee-chan. Now go get some rest." As Shizune was leaving he turned to Kakashi. "You should rest too. You look like hell."

And he felt worse. But he wasn't going anywhere. "I'm fine," he said.

Naruto gave him a long look, but didn't press him further. Sai looked like he wanted to say something, but Kakashi was glad he didn't. His observations were not welcome right now. Once, he would have blurted out whatever he was thinking, but tact was one of the nuances of social interaction he'd picked up in the past couple years, and his teammates were all very grateful for it.

They left, and Kakashi settled beside Sakura again, pulled his mask down around his neck and tiredly rubbed his hands over his unshaven face. More hours passed, during which he alternated between staring at the bare wall and watching Sakura's sleeping face, still strained by the discomfort of her fever, but no longer alarmingly pale and sickly. He took her hand and stared at her fingers beneath his, reassured by the returning warmth to her skin. She was going to be okay, and Kakashi finally felt like he could breathe again.

When he told himself he would wear an indifferent face, he hadn't realized how impossible that would be. How could he right now? It was his fault this happened to her, and the possibility that she might not make it had made him sick with fear. Kakashi was not afraid of his own death, but he was terrified of hers. The spectre of her death took away his reason. He cared about Naruto and Sai, and he would give his life for either of them. But his regard for Sakura went far beyond that of anyone else he knew. She occupied a special, unique place in his life, and had for a long time. He was only now starting to accept what that meant.

A faint, broken murmur gave him a start, and his eyes snapped back to Sakura's face. It was the first sound she'd made in two days. Kakashi rose to his knees and hovered at the edge of her bed.

Her eyes cracked open, tiny slits of green. Her chapped lips moved silently at first, as if it was difficult to speak. "Kah…shi…"

Kakashi smiled and leaned over her, filled with a relief so strong it made him feel faint. "Sakura," he answered, his voice choked with emotion and raspy from lack of use. "I'm here."

"Mm'I…dying?"

He shook his head. "You're fine," he assured quietly, smoothing her damp hair back from her brow. "You're going to be fine."

She squeezed his hand, little more than a weak press of her fingers, and one corner of her lips turned up just slightly.

That frail little smile undid him. Something utterly uncontrollable came over him, and with a ragged sigh he held her to him as tightly as he thought she could stand. His fingers tangled in her hair and he pressed his cheek to her temple. His lips found her hair, her brow, her cheek, and finally her mouth…lingering only a second before he remembered himself and pulled away.

Sakura closed her eyes again, and with a soft sigh, slipped back into sleep. She'd barely been awake to begin with. The realization filled Kakashi with a mix of relief and shame. What the hell was the thinking?

Not thinking at all, clearly, and it would be best to go before he did anything else completely out of line.

Kakashi got to his feet, rubbed his hands over his face in exhausted dismay, pulled his mask up, and silently left to go inform his other teammates that Sakura had woken.

* * *

Naruto passed silently through the trees and undergrowth, making his way deeper into the darkness of the forest. The sentries nodded at him as he passed by and headed to the very edge of the perimeter. Fortunately the narrow stream bordering the north side of camp was still inside the boundary. As much as he might want to, he couldn't break his own rules for personal reasons.

He seated himself at the bank and summoned the messenger toad he'd left posted at the Hyuuga's garden pond. "Is she there?"

Gamagoru nodded. "She's waiting."

He was pleased as always, but tonight his smile was dimmed by stress and worry, his mind and body restless from insomnia. Kakashi's news had been a tremendous weight off his shoulders, mostly because Sakura was okay, but also because now they could leave this place and escape the unseen threat of attack. Though the probability of a spy in their midst still placed them all in danger, and he wouldn't rest easy until the problem was resolved. He was hoping Hinata might have some information about it.

Mostly he just wanted to talk to her. Since that first night they'd talked at least three times a week, and most of time there was no crucial information exchanged on either end. They just talked, sometimes about nothing at all. Hinata felt lonely and isolated in her situation, Naruto knew, and as for himself…he wasn't sure. Somehow connecting to her like this put him at ease. There was a sweet tranquility about her that came across even in her writing, and he always came away feeling calmer and more confident.

Gamagoru pulled the notepad and pen from his mouth and handed them to Naruto. Hinata had already written him a message:

'_How are things there?_'

'_Not good_,' he wrote back. '_Shinobi from Moss are lurking around our location.' _A knot formed in his chest. It was hard to even write the next words: '_Sakura almost died yesterday_.'

Hinata's scribbled reply was as fast in coming as he'd ever seen it: '_What happened? Is she okay?_'

'_She's fine now_,' he told her, and explained what happened in detail. Then he added, '_Our enemies keep finding us, too quickly and accurately to be random. I don't want to believe it, but I'm almost positive there's a spy in our camp. Do you know anything?_'

'_Nothing_,' she wrote. '_If I learned anything like that I would tell you immediately_.'

'_I know_,' he answered. '_I didn't mean to sound suspicious. I'm just really worried about everyone's safety_.'

'_I understand. I didn't think you sounded suspicious. I'll see what I can learn_.'

Naruto smiled despite himself, and wrote, '_Thanks, Hinata._'

She replied, '_I wish I could do more for you._ _I wish I could be there_.'

She might as well be, Naruto thought. She was in his thoughts every day. He looked forward to their midnight rendezvous with an eagerness that surprised him. He'd always liked and admired Hinata, but back in Konoha their paths hadn't crossed often, and when they had, she'd been so peculiar and shy that their conversations never went anywhere. Now that he understood what her shyness had meant, he felt like a fool. He was glad for the opportunity to make up for his blindness, and amazed at how close they'd grown in such a short time, without even being face to face.

Naruto didn't tell her any of this, though. He may be a fool, but he understood the meaning of timing. Instead he wrote, '_Me too. I wish even more that I was back in Konoha, fixing everything Danzou has ruined._'

'_That day will come_,' she wrote. '_And when it does I'll be here to help you however I can_.'

As their conversation ended and Naruto walked back to camp, his smile was bright and full. He was certainly no expert at reading between the lines, but he thought maybe—_hoped_ might be a better word—Hinata was thinking about timing as well.

That night he slept undisturbed for the first time in days, and dreamed of eyes like lavender in moonlight.

* * *

Thanks to Shizune's help as well as her own abilities, Sakura was recuperating rapidly. She'd finally crawled out of bed today in mid-afternoon, groggy, weak, and incredibly thirsty. Not to mention grungy and gross and in desperate need of a bath. But her wounds were healed and her system free of toxins, and aside from a dehydration headache she was in no pain.

Her friends had come to see her throughout the day as she lay in bed, awake but not quite up to moving around just yet. Naruto brought her lunch and sat with her for over an hour. Talking to him was getting easier; during his visit she'd thought about the tension between them only once, and fleetingly. It was a good sign.

Her recovery was good news for the rest of the camp as well. They'd received word from the advance party, and they would be jumping to their next location at sunset—just a few hours away. Like most of the others, she was just lounging around now, waiting. She'd found a log and dragged it to a spot where the sun reached the forest floor, and was using it as a backrest as she stretched out and soaked in the sun.

Physically Sakura was doing great, all things considered. But emotionally…she was confused. Kakashi hadn't come to see her at all since yesterday afternoon. In fact, in a camp this small it could be said he was going out of his way not to encounter her. And Sakura knew why. What she didn't understand was, well…_why_. For weeks they'd been walking that line, standing on a precipice. It had frustrated her to distraction; she wanted it to go somewhere…and yet she didn't.

She was afraid of getting romantically entangled with yet another teammate. How many times had she done this, only to realize later that what she thought were real feelings were just a projection of some deeper issue? Yet, it felt different with Kakashi. She was more cognizant of her choices this time, not impetuous and emotionally driven. It felt real.

Just when she thought she'd made up her mind that it was a bad idea and had to stop, something would happen to make her think differently. Almost dying was one of those things. Kakashi almost dying the week before had been another.

Was this what war was like? Constantly fearing for your own death and the death of loved ones, every day filled with unknown dangers? Shinobi were brought up on the idea that any day could be their last, so they should live like it _was_…but it was nothing more than a philosophy without the reality of war, especially to those who hadn't yet experienced the pain of loss. Sakura had experienced devastating loss already…and now she had come face to face with her own mortality for the second time in her young life.

It was no wonder people became crazy and reckless during times like this. No wonder so many babies were born during and immediately after war. She'd already noticed how people in the camp were hooking up all over the place. Last week she'd seen Anko putting the moves on Tenzou beneath a cottonwood tree and he hadn't resisted _at all_…. Sakura had walked away from that before she saw something she really didn't want to see.

If there was a high probability that she could die tomorrow or in the very near future, should she deny herself a little happiness and spend her last moments regretting all the things she hadn't done? That sounded even crazier than getting involved with a man fourteen years older who used to be her teacher and was currently her direct superior.

Sakura made up her mind. She didn't want to deny herself or what had grown between them any longer. She got up, brushed herself off, and went to find Kakashi.

The man was a pro at not being found, though Sakura knew all of his tricks. But this time Kakashi surprised her, and she actually found him about to knock on the door of her recovery room. Maybe he wasn't trying to avoid her after all…or more likely he'd given up on it.

"Hey," she said lightly, walking up to him.

He turned, and smiled beneath the mask. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

"I still feel a little woozy at times, but I couldn't stand to be cooped up in there any longer. Fresh air, you know?" She stepped around him and opened the door, motioned for him to come in. He hesitated only a moment before following her inside. Sakura shut the door and turned to face him.

"Ready for the jump tonight?" he asked.

Kakashi was also a pro at playing off tension with casual charm, but Sakura knew better this time, and wasn't going to let him do it. She took a step closer, looked up at him innocently. "I wondered where you were today. You were the only one who didn't visit me."

"Sorry," he said, not meeting her eyes. "I've been following up with Tenzou on the prisoner interrogation. He was having some trouble with translation. Unfortunately I don't know the Swamp dialect much better than he does. I'm not sure we'll get much out of this guy."

Probably he was telling the truth, but that didn't mean he hadn't used it as an excuse to stay away. "That's too bad," she said dryly, "considering all the trouble it caused us to get him."

Kakashi looked at her, and in his eyes was the shadow of what he'd gone through the past two days. It almost made her feel bad for entrapping him like this. But she had made her decision, and one way or another they were going to have this out, now. "I was starting to think," she said slowly, "that you might be avoiding me…"

He frowned. "Why would I? I've been worried out of my mind about you."

The admission took her aback; he wasn't usually so vocal about his feelings. Suddenly she wondered if she'd been wrong about his absence after all. "I don't know…I thought you must be, since Naruto said you were here with me the entire time…that you wouldn't leave my side until I was out danger." She studied his face carefully. "Was it that bad?"

It was a long moment before he answered, his voice even quieter than hers, "…It was close."

Sakura had no memory of it. She remembered desperately swimming for the shore, the cold black heaviness pulling her down…and then waking up here in this little hut with Kakashi kneeling over her. What she did remember was how lost and haggard he'd looked, even to her half-delirious mind. She was the one who almost died, but looking at him now, somehow she felt like he was the one who'd suffered most. She supposed it was the same for her when _he_ was the one dying before her eyes.

Sakura took a step closer, narrowing the distance between them. "Even so," she said softly, "you have some nerve, kissing a recently poisoned, nearly drowned, half-conscious woman…"

Kakashi blinked and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He'd been so relieved, to look into her eyes and see she was okay, to hear her call his name…but what he'd done was inappropriate on so many levels.

He must have thought she wouldn't remember, Sakura realized. She could practically see the self-loathing and guilt cover him like a shroud. But she didn't mean to torment him, and so she let the silence hang only a few moments before continuing. "It was hardly fair…I couldn't even respond properly."

Kakashi's eyes rose to lock with hers, surprised and wondering. He'd avoided her all day, disgusted with himself, until he couldn't stand not knowing how she was anymore. Now he couldn't form a response that didn't contain an apology.

She smirked playfully. "I probably just drooled on you."

Kakashi stared at her, and in those few moments all his doubts dwindled to a faint shadow in the back of his mind. All he saw now was Sakura, full of fire and _life_, holding open the door he'd tried to close, offering him something he'd never expected to want, let alone have.

He gave a tentative smile and replied, "Only a little."

Sakura very carefully reached up with both hands to pull his mask down. Kakashi didn't move a muscle, but his expression, finally revealed to her, said the last thing on his mind at this moment was pulling away. It gave her courage, because while she acted confident, inside she was terrified. Heart racing, she stepped right up against him, her hands resting on his collar, and softly said, "I promise I can do much better."

She lifted her face to his, rose onto her tiptoes, but still wasn't tall enough to make anything happen without his participation. Kakashi was the one to close that final distance.

Their true first kiss was like all firsts, cautious, testing, and filled with wonder and revelation. Every explorative brush of their lips redefined their relationship forever. And beneath the conscious restraint were the stirrings of real passion—the spark waiting to ignite. When her tongue tapped against his, Kakashi seemed to come out of a daze; his hand curved around the nape of her neck and he slanted his mouth against hers and kissed her fully. It was like someone lit a match. A little thunderbolt sizzled its way through her and she responded ardently, her hands tangling in his hair.

Kakashi slipped his arms around her waist, pressed her firmly against him, still not quite believing this was real. When she'd brought him into this private space to confront him, he'd fully expected her to _hit_ him, not kiss him. Their height difference was an inconvenience, he realized quickly. If he was going to kiss her he wanted to fully commit to it. His hands moved down her sides and over her hips, preparing to lift her up and remedy the issue.

Someone knocked loudly at the door.

They broke apart and turned to the door like they expected an enemy attack. After such an interruption, Sakura was tempted to treat it like one. It took a moment for her to remember that this was _her_ room, and the unwelcome visitor was waiting on her answer. "What is it?" she called out. She tried to keep her tone light, innocent, but it came out snappy anyway. Her heart still fluttered in her chest, her head light and fuzzy from the most amazing kiss of her life. She didn't dare look at Kakashi right now.

But her euphoria vanished when the reply came:

"Haruno-san, you're needed right away. There's been another attack."

* * *

TBC


	11. The Art of Appearances

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Eleven: The Art of Appearances

##

* * *

A scouting party had been attacked by Moss ninja only ten miles west of the rebel camp. The attack came from a different direction than the others, which indicated that they were being surrounded. The Leaf shinobi fought and won, but three of the four-nin squad had been infected with the same poison as Sakura. By the time the fourth was able to teleport them back they were in convulsions.

The medics and Karin worked doggedly to save them. They lost one; a chuunin named Ikuta, no more than seventeen years old. He was allergic to whatever toxin was used to make the poison, like some people were to beestings. He died within an hour.

The night passed in grim silence. No one slept, not with back-to-back attacks and the imminent threat of another, larger one. The jump scheduled for sunset had been delayed again, and now they waited for the inevitable. The sentries on the perimeter had been doubled, but in truth they were nearly tripled as shinobi took it upon themselves to stand guard, many of them itching for a fight against their elusive enemy. There was even talk among some of the ANBU about sending out a few squads to hunt them down.

Naruto had covertly dispatched Tenzou to find and infiltrate the enemy camp. His special ability to meld with the surrounding forest and travel unseen put him in a unique position to discover the source of the poison and determine the enemy's strength and numbers.

As the sky lightened to pinkish-gray, the three medics emerged from the little hut which had been used once again for the newest medical emergency. Karin left right away, grumbling about finding something to eat. The looks Sakura and Shizune gave her indicated she may not have been incredibly helpful in there. When she was gone, they turned to each other and began talking in hushed tones. Sakura pulled her hair from its ponytail, slowly ran her fingers through the long pink strands, and retied it—all like it was the most exhausting, difficult task in the world.

Kakashi watched her from his perch against the side of the longhouse across the way. Beside him, Sai watched Sakura as well—and watched Kakashi watch her.

"She's still recovering from a near-fatal poisoning herself," the artist said in a low voice, "but as usual she pushed herself beyond any reasonable limits. I'd never seen that kind of selfless determination to help comrades until joining Team Kakashi." He looked over, a shadow of amusement on his face. "In that way, she's a lot like you."

It was true, Kakashi thought, and he had always been drawn to that about her. That and the mixture of strength and vulnerability he saw in her, that ability she had to push through even when she was breaking inside. Even now, pale and disheveled and sapped of all energy, she was beautiful. He didn't respond to Sai's remark. He knew pointed commentary when he heard it, and he futilely wished Sai was more like Naruto…though Naruto wasn't nearly as obtuse as he used to be. Maybe they had all just gotten too close to hide things from each other. In a camp this small, secrets were hard to keep. It was unrealistic to think no one had noticed.

Kakashi didn't know what he was doing anymore. He didn't know if he should put a stop to it before it went too far…or if he should just accept that it was real and it was happening and yes, he wanted it.

Would Sakura want to talk about what happened this afternoon? Probably not. Kakashi had sensed her hesitation all the times before, and he hadn't expected her to take such a bold leap. He'd thought that, like him, she'd just continue their harmless little flirtation and it would never go anywhere. And then _he_ was the one to cross the line. He didn't act without thinking. Not with things like this. When it came to personal matters he had always been cautious to a fault…but Sakura disarmed him. It irritated him, but he found it attractive at the same time.

It was his fault for kissing her in the first place, and it was entirely possible that his actions had spurred her forward. And while part of him regretted that impulsive moment of weakness, the other part didn't want to undo what was done. The situation frustrated him, as did his inability to make up his mind. The muscles in his jaw clenched, and he exhaled with careful control. Kakashi was tired…of brooding, of wavering back and forth, unsure how the hell it had ever happened. He honestly couldn't come to a decision that felt completely right.

"We should find out what's happening," he said to Sai, and they stepped away from the wall. Naruto was on the roof above, searching in sennin-mode for any sign of their enemies, and had noticed the medics come out as well. He vaulted from the overhang, landing silently beside them. The troubled look he gave them said whatever he'd discovered, it wasn't good. Shikamaru was loitering nearby, and came around the other side of the building to join them.

"They're out of the critical stage," Sakura told them. "Though the poison caused their organs to start failing. We still have a ways to go."

"How long?" Naruto wanted to know. "I don't want you to rush their treatment, but…" He sighed, his expression torn. "We can't stay here any longer. All night I sensed them all around us, closing in. Whole platoons. They're still miles away, but…"

"Those scouts were bold to come so close," Shikamaru added. "The enemy is confident they have us trapped. It's only a matter of time before we're under attack."

Silence fell, heavy and ominous. They couldn't abandon their injured comrades…but at the same time how could they put the lives of two people before two hundred?

Shizune offered a solution. "Why don't you take the rest of the group ahead and we'll stay back. We'll catch up to you when they've recovered."

Everyone but Sakura looked at her like she was crazy.

"There's no way in hell we're leaving both of our medics behind, vulnerable to attack," said Shikamaru. "Or did you forget what happened just the other day?" He pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and lit one.

"I don't think she meant alone," Kakashi said. "An escort guard would stay behind with them." Sakura looked at him. Her eyes were flat and dark with exhaustion, but there was a spark of something there for him, something that said she didn't regret that kiss. He almost smiled.

Sai spoke up. "By the time you caught up to us we'd be jumping again. Either way we would have to wait out in the open for you."

"At least the enemy wouldn't know exactly where you were," Sakura reasoned.

"If there's a spy among us they probably will," Shikamaru countered. "If you _did_ stay behind you'd have to catch up on foot. If they somehow picked up your trail you'd lead them straight to the Fire Temple. Preventing that is the whole reason we're jumping."

"We're not truly safe anywhere until we identify the mole," Naruto said. "The only hope we have until then is the safety and fortification of the temple. We can't risk it…and besides, I'm not leaving anyone behind anyway."

"Then," Sakura said, "we'll just have to have them ready to move by tonight."

"In less than twenty-four hours? It took _you_ almost two days just to wake up, and another full day to completely recover."

"Because Shizune wasn't here, and I was unable to heal myself. We can do this." Beside her, Shizune nodded in silent agreement.

Naruto shook his head, not liking this idea any more than the first. "You're already almost at your limit. You'll hurt yourselves…"

"We'll be fine," she promised, weary but resolute. "What other option do we have?"

Nobody liked it, but they allowed the medics to do what had to be done. With no sleep and little food in their stomachs, Sakura and Shizune each swallowed a soldier pill and went back inside the hut.

The sun rose, and the day passed in a tense hush. Everyone in the camp was ready to leave…and ready to fight. No one expected to make it to the jump time without violence. Naruto spent the day on the roof again, waiting and sensing for the moment the enemy made their move. Sai mounted one of his ink-birds and went out on patrol, taking Hanabi with him for her Byakugan, to do some long-range, birds-eye scouting. Kakashi resumed his position against the wall, facing the hut, fully armed and ready. He held his book in front of him, turned the pages, but hardly saw a word.

Genma came around in early afternoon and went inside the hut. Shizune and Sakura didn't want to let him in, but he argued that, like it or not, he was going to make sure they didn't kill themselves. Naruto's orders, he said. A fib, but no one was going to tell them that. At four thirty the door opened and Genma reemerged, carrying a nearly-asleep Shizune in his arms. Kakashi started forward automatically. Genma seemed to expect it, and quietly told him, "You'll probably have to carry her, too. They're two peas in a pod: gifted, but stubborn and willful. Their patients are better off than they are at the moment." Love and exasperation were plain on his face as he gazed down at Shizune, who was still awake enough to look indignant. He carried her away, and Kakashi went inside.

The patients—Komui and Chiyo, he'd overheard someone say—were sleeping a healthy, untroubled sleep, free of fever and sickness. Sakura, however, was slumped weakly against the far wall, her eyes barely open. Kakashi knelt and slipped his arms behind her back and under her knees. As he lifted her up her arms went around his neck.

He carried her outside, and she softly murmured, "We did it."

"You did," he answered quietly. Sakura pressed her face into his collar affectionately. A dozen witnesses kept him from reciprocating, but he did walk rather slowly to the sleeping bay.

Since her bedroll was still in the hut, he laid her down on his own. There were a few hours until the scheduled jump time; she could rest until then. Away from watchful eyes and gossipy lips, Kakashi smoothed her tousled hair from her face, fingers lingering against the softness of her cheek. Unable to justify staying with her this time, he left her there and went to inform the movers to ready the seals.

#

At ten o'clock sharp, the Leaf rebels gathered together inside a wide, rune-adorned circle that had been meticulously carved into the soft, loamy earth. The buildings were gone, and dark undisturbed forest surrounded them once again.

An hour earlier they'd held a short memorial for Ikuta, now buried beneath a tall ancient pine. He was the first of them to be lost since they'd come together after fleeing Konoha, and their sadness was mixed with foreboding for what was certain to come.

Now they waited anxiously, for the jump or for battle…no one was sure which would come first.

"They're coming," Naruto had warned minutes ago. He stood at the center of the circle, his teammates at his side. Everyone else faced toward the forest in all directions, tense and ready. The movers had activated the seals, and now waited for the activation on the other side.

A wave of kunai streamed out of the shadows on the right, but they were thrown from a great distance and easily deflected by the shinobi on the outside of the circle. They tightened their ranks.

"We've got to go now!" Shikamaru said. "What the hell's taking so long?"

"I don't know!" Naruto said. "I sent Gamakichi to the other side an hour ago!"

"Could they have been attacked too?" Sakura said.

He looked over at her, dread in his sennin-yellow eyes. "Let's hope not, for all our sakes."

With the rustle of leaves and creak of branches their enemy was upon them, the symbols of Moss and Fang glinting with the steel of drawn weapons in the dark. They surrounded the Konoha nin on all sides, hissing and taunting and looking for openings. They made up less than half their number; an easy fight for the Leaf. But they couldn't step outside the circle to fight when the jutsu was moments away from activating. Anyone who did would be left behind, or worse if they happened to be standing on the seals at that moment.

"Keep them back, no matter what," Kakashi ordered the shinobi around him. "Don't let them damage the seals, and _do not_ let them inside." Fortunately, the enemy nin didn't seem interested in the transport circle, and that told him they probably didn't realize what it meant. Destroying their way out would have been the first thing Kakashi did.

More kunai and shuriken flew, testing for weaknesses in their defense. A few cries and curses went up as one or two Leaf nin took a hit; nothing immediately serious…unless those weapons were poisoned too. The Konoha rebels responded with a variety of defensive jutsu meant to repel and disable. That tactic that wouldn't last long—any second the enemy would use jutsu of their own, or engage them in a rush.

Then the seals flared up, blindingly blue-white in the darkness. Some of the enemy finally seemed to realize what was happening; Foreign shouts rose up and dark shapes surged from the shadows, hurling jutsu and weapons at the Leaf ninja as they were enclosed in a pillar of light.

The forest, their enemies, the light…all of it vanished. There was nothing, a heartbeat of disembodied emptiness. Then the light returned, winked out, and there was solid ground beneath their feet again. A few moments followed of lightheaded, quivery disorientation like they'd just fallen from a great height. The Leaf shinobi adjusted their eyes to the sudden return to darkness and saw that they were in another forest—harder ground, drier air, monolithic trees stretching upward into the night, as far as the eye could see. It was terrain deeply familiar to all of them: the heart of Fire country.

The medics immediately went into action. "Who was hit?" Shizune called out as she and Sakura wove their way into the crowd and the few who'd been injured limped forward. The ANBU commander leading the advance team came up to Naruto. Kakashi was used to associating them to their masks, and it took him a moment to remember his name: Naida.

"What took so long?" Naruto demanded. "We were under attack! It almost got real ugly back there."

"We're very close to Konoha right now," Naida explained. "A few hours ago we were almost caught by a Root patrol and we had to move and set up again. I apologize for the delay. We activated the seals the second it was finished."

Shikamaru overheard as he came up to them, and said, "Just think, if things had gone according to schedule three days ago, we might have _all_ been caught by Root. We should have planned a better spot to jump to." He was the tactical mastermind, and his anger was directed mostly at himself.

"How close to Konoha are we?" Kakashi asked Naida.

"Day and a half. Those Root were probably outrunners. We could have taken them out, but I figured it was better to move so we didn't run into any other problems. We're several miles further south now."

"You did the right thing," Naruto told him. He looked off into the darkness of the forest. "But Tenzou's still out there. How will he find us now?"

"He will," Kakashi assured. "His abilities from the Shodai allow him to communicate with the trees. In a forest, he can find anything. If need be I can always send Pakkun."

"Good," Naruto said, nodding. "Let's start getting a camp set up. We'll have to pitch tents until Tenzou's back, but I'm not really worried about that. The important thing is that everyone's safe now."

Shikamaru took a long drag of his cigarette, his face momentarily bathed in orange light. He exhaled slowly, and said what they were all thinking. "But for how long?"

* * *

Sakura was having a hell of a time opening her lunch. The vacuum-sealed pouch of dried fruit refused to tear. Couldn't they at least perforate the damn things? Maybe exhaustion had simply killed her dexterity. Tenten had a compact mirror, and Sakura had managed to catch a glimpse of herself this morning. It hadn't been pretty. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and even with a light summer tan her cheeks lacked their usual healthy color. She could definitely use a few days' undisturbed rest, but she hated the idea of sitting around doing nothing while everyone else worked.

With a frustrated huff, she gave up and tried to tear the packet with her teeth. Which resulted in half the contents spilling onto her lap and the ground. That was how Kakashi found her, with banana chips and dried apricots all over herself and the packet clenched in her teeth like a ravenous animal.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, amusement in his eyes.

"Almost never," Sakura replied cheekily, picking up morsels of fruit and putting them back in the bag, eating a couple in between. The five-second rule was more like the five-_minute_ rule in the ninja world. She looked up at him hopefully. "Do you have any food that doesn't consume more calories in eating than it provides?"

"'Fraid not." He held up his own packet meal. "Just this; dried and airtight like the rest of it."

Sakura did a double-take. "Is that _meat_?" The bastard had jerky! "Where did you get meat?"

Kakashi smiled his most infuriating smile. "A good shinobi never gives away his secrets. But, I suppose I can share with my favorite teammate."

"Half and half?" she suggested, holding out her bag of dehydrated fruit.

He didn't take it, and didn't sit. "Since our lunch is conveniently portable," he began, and held his own hand out to her. "Come with me; there something I want to show you."

She let him pull her up and they walked away from camp, into the woods. A little thrill went through her at the thought of being alone with him. Kakashi led her to an area that couldn't really be called a clearing, as the ground was mostly covered with ferns and scrub. Long ago a massive, ancient tree had fallen over to create an opening in the canopy large enough for the sun to penetrate to the forest floor, and beams of golden light shone down on the rotting, crumbling log, covered in moss and lichen, slowly being reclaimed by the forest.

"It's pretty," Sakura said, sincere, but nonplussed.

"It is," Kakashi agreed, "but that's not why I brought you here."

He found a clear spot on the ground and knelt down to perform a summoning jutsu. But when the smoke cleared it wasn't Pakkun or one of his other dogs. It was the cutest puppy Sakura had ever seen.

The pup blinked and looked around, momentarily confused at the sudden change in surroundings. It looked at Kakashi but quickly turned away from him, more interested in other, newer things. When it saw Sakura it trotted right up to her, wagging its fluffy, curled tail. "Hi!" the puppy yipped, bouncing a little.

"Hi!" Sakura returned delightedly. She knelt down and reached out, and the pup ran toward her waiting hands.

"Her name is Shiko," Kakashi said. "She's four months old."

"Shiko, Shiko!" the puppy exclaimed. "Me Shiko!"

"She's adorable," Sakura said to Kakashi, laughing as the puppy wiggled happily in her arms. She had a soft, thick double coat of red-sesame color with tawny legs, ears and nose, and a darker saddle across her back. Her throat and belly were snowy white, as well as her paws and the underside of her tail, which curled over her back. She had small triangle ears and deep brown almond-shaped eyes.

"She's yours, if you want her."

Sakura looked up at him, shocked. "R-really?" As a child, she had desperately wanted a puppy like some other girls want ponies, but due to her father's allergy to nearly every domestic animal it was always impossible. When she began living on her own the thought of getting a dog crossed her mind, but she wasn't home enough to care for one. But a non-dependant companion with high intelligence and human language skills, who could go on missions with her and even fight at her side? It was beyond perfect.

"Mine?" Shiko asked, gazing up at Sakura with devastating cuteness. "You my hoomin?"

"I guess so," she said wonderingly, and set the pup down so she could look at her. "My name is Sakura."

Shiko tried the name on her tongue. "Sa—ka—ra…Sakra!" Her tail wagged hopefully.

"Close enough for now," Sakura laughed. She scratched the top of Shiko's head, and the pup sat up and pawed at her forearm, alternately nibbling and licking her wrist. Then she bounded off to investigate the area, sniffing everything and picking up random bits of forest debris in her mouth for closer inspection.

Kakashi settled beside Sakura on the ground. She hadn't noticed that he'd pulled his mask down while she played with the puppy. She was so overwhelmed by the incredible gift she'd been given that she didn't even ogle. Much.

"As you can see, her language skills are rudimentary, like any child," he said. "Though she is rather advanced for her age. You'll have to keep working with her."

Sakura nodded. "Kakashi, I don't know what to say…"

He smiled. "Thank you?"

"Well yes, of course _thank you_. It's just…this is a big deal…" A _really_ big deal. Like the most significant thing anyone had ever done for her next to Tsunade taking her as an apprentice. Shiko wasn't just a cute little puppy, she was a _ninken_. A spirit animal bound in a lifelong contract to be a ninja's companion and weapon. It was a tradition going back centuries, for as long as shinobi had existed, but few were ever lucky enough to have one.

Kakashi knew this as well, but he brushed it off with typical levity. "I don't think my pack is the right place for Shiko," he said. "She has some unusual circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"She was the runt in a litter of nine. She was bullied by her siblings and all but shunned by her overwhelmed mother. Her mother died recently, and now she's on her own."

Sakura glanced sadly at Shiko, who seemed happy enough now. She appeared to be tying to dig grubs out from under the dead tree. "What about her littermates?" she wondered.

"She's the only female," Kakashi explained, "and for some reason her brothers aren't very good brothers. From what I hear, as soon as she started to stand up to their bullying they drove her out of the den."

Sakura frowned. "That's terrible. Can't you do anything about it?"

"I can only control my own dogs. Pakkun brought Shiko to me, and she agreed to let me bring her over. I originally intended to make her part of my pack…but because of what she's been through she's not very fond of males." He shot the pup a look. "She even tried to bite me once."

Sakura said flatly, "So you're only giving her to me because she won't work with you?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly, but it is a convenient opportunity. She has too much potential to be left to fend for herself. Shiko," he called. Shiko trotted over, noticeably less enthusiastic than when she'd approached Sakura. To Sakura he said, "Make her an offer."

"Do you want to make a contract with me?" Sakura asked the pup.

Her little ears perked forward and her eyes were huge pools of excitement, but her tail wag was tentative. "You is nice to Shiko…?"

"Extra nice. I promise."

"Okay!" she yipped, front paws bouncing up and down. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Kakashi pulled the scroll of the ninken from his equipment pouch and unrolled it on the ground. "The contract is made in blood," he explained. "Since it's the first time for both of you, you'll both need to do it. The ninken first." He drew a kunai and turned to the pup, but seeing the look on her face, thought better of it and handed the blade to Sakura. "It's probably better if you do it."

Looking at the scroll and seeing what needed to be done, Sakura took the kunai and beckoned Shiko toward her. "It'll be quick," she assured gently. "It'll only hurt for a minute, and I'll heal it up right after."

Shiko sat on her haunches. "You can do that?"

Sakura smiled. "I can." She held her hand out. "Can I have your paw?"

Hesitantly the pup placed her tiny paw in Sakura's palm. Sakura turned her paw pads up and quickly made a shallow incision, gently spread the blood across the surface area. Shiko whimpered, but held herself still.

"Now place your mark here," Kakashi pointed to an empty space at the top section of the scroll, next to the paw marks of his dogs and his father's dogs before them.

Shiko limped over and placed her paw on the old vellum, leaving behind a bloody stamp. She limped back to Sakura, who took her injured paw in both hands and healed the cut in less than a minute. Shiko lay down and examined her paw, licking the remaining blood away to be sure all was well. "Shiko has special hoomin!" she exclaimed, tail thumping against the leafy ground.

"Go home now," Kakashi said, "and Sakura's going to call you back herself. Then you'll be fully bonded." Shiko disappeared with a curl of smoke. He looked to Sakura. "Your turn."

Sakura scooted closer, and carefully cut her fingertip. Wincing at the deep sting, she held her finger over the blank area below Shiko's mark, right next to Kakashi's chickenscratch moniker. "Sign my name?" she clarified.

Kakashi nodded. "Make sure it's strong, or it will fade over time and the bond will become weak."

Signing her name in blood wasn't a quick and easy task; she had to keep squeezing her finger to produce more of the crimson ink. Maybe she hadn't cut deep enough, but it certainly _felt_ that way. "How many ninken are there?" she asked out of curiosity.

"As many as there are toads or cats or any other spirit animal, I imagine," he replied. "Contracts are usually passed down through family lines, but not always. My father created this one himself. Other shinobi somewhere might have contracts with other ninken."

"Since I'm signing _your_ scroll…" Sakura said carefully, as the full significance of the situation set in, "doesn't this mean I can summon your other dogs too?"

"Theoretically," he said. "But they're not obligated to respond, any more than Shiko is to respond to me, so I wouldn't resort to that unless it's an emergency. They're not as easy to manage as it seems, and they'll always answer my call before yours."

That made sense; they were a pack, and they needed a strong leader. There couldn't be two Alphas.

"Most ninken have families of their own that they spend most of their time with," Kakashi continued. "But because Shiko's so young and doesn't have anyone to look after her, you'll need to keep her around you on this side until she's more independent."

"That's perfectly fine with me," Sakura said. "I'm in love with her already." He smiled at her in a way that set her insides fluttering. She wanted to scoot closer, wanted to touch him and pick up where they left off yesterday evening. First things first though.

Kakashi glanced down at the completed contract. "I think you're ready. You know the seals. Focus your chakra into your palm and imagine you're actually reaching out to pull her into this world."

Sakura took a deep breath, suddenly nervous. "What if I screw it up? Will something bad happen to her?"

"You won't," he assured.

"How do you know?"

"I believe in you."

Just knowing that gave her confidence, as it always had, since the first time he said it to her insecure, twelve year-old self. She made the series of initializing handseals she'd seen Kakashi perform dozens of times, and placed her palm flat on the ground. Taking another deep breath, Sakura called her summon. "_Kuchiyose-no-jutsu!_" A faint thrumming sensation went through her, somewhere between a vibration and a shiver, and with a curl of smoke and a quiet _pop_, Shiko stood before her again.

"Yay!" she yipped, and pounced on Sakura gleefully, all paws and tongue and puppy energy.

"Yay!" Sakura echoed, laughing and hugging her new companion to her chest. The pup's attention was soon drawn by the rustle of some small animal in the brush, and she bounded off into the forest. Sakura could actually feel her presence now, and could track her movement through the trees around them. It was more of an intuition than a physical feeling. She said as much to Kakashi.

"As long as you're not too far apart, you'll always be able to sense her," he confirmed.

"So you can sense _all eight_ of yours?"

He rolled up the scroll and put it away. "Why do you think I rarely summon them all at the same time? It can be pretty distracting."

Despite his laid back demeanor and casual approach, Sakura couldn't stop thinking about what he'd really done by putting her name on the ninken scroll. She studied his uncovered face. "Really, Kakashi," she said quietly. "Why are you doing this?"

She thought he would shrug it off again or make some lighthearted remark, but this time he gave up the pretense. "I want to know you're safe, and I can't always be there. And because as I said, Shiko does need someone to take care of her, and you said you love dogs."

Was that really why he gave her a ninken? To protect her? Sakura knew she didn't have his extensive experience, and most of her time these past two years had been spent traveling, not fighting. Maybe she was a little rusty, but she didn't need extra help. "It's not your job to babysit me," she said.

Kakashi frowned at her. "I'm your teammate." An edge crept into in his voice. "And more importantly, I'm your _friend_. It's not babysitting, Sakura. It's called watching your back. It _is_ my job. I may not have been a great sensei, but I know I taught you that much."

Sakura realized she'd come across as selfish and ungrateful. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it came out. I really do appreciate it. You have no idea how happy this makes me." All of a sudden she felt terrible, inside and out. "I guess I'm just…" She sighed and hung her head, pressed her forehead into her knees. "I'm so tired." Kakashi shifted, and she felt his hand settle on her back.

"I know you know what you're doing to yourself," he said quietly, just above her head. "And I know why you refuse to take it easy, and that for you to do any differently would go against who you are. So I'm looking out for you because you're terrible at looking after yourself, that's all. I could have phrased my words better as well; I didn't mean to imply any kind of doubt in you. You should know I would never think that."

His hand moved in affectionate little circles between her shoulder blades, occasionally moving down the length of her spine and back again. Sakura leaned into his side, seeking his steady warmth. His touch seemed to quell some of the internal unsteadiness she was feeling. Even the timbre of his voice was comforting. "_I'm_ terrible at looking after _my_self?"

He chuckled softly. "I know I'm just as bad."

"Worse."

Kakashi bumped against her lightly. "All a matter of perspective, I suppose. The point is, as friends it's our duty to take care of each other."

Sakura pulled away just enough to look into his face. "Is that all we are, Kakashi? Friends?" She watched him closely, the way the emotions shifted in his eyes as they flicked over her features. Tentatively she asked him, "What do you want?"

His gaze had fixed on her mouth as she spoke. "I can think of a lot of things, that shouldn't be discussed in public," he murmured. "Right now I really want to kiss you."

Breath caught in her throat, Sakura half-whispered, "What's stopping you?"

Kakashi kissed her with a hunger that left her breathless in seconds. Hot, sweet, electric desire flashed through her, more intense than anyone else's kisses had ever made her feel. Sakura shifted onto her knees, rose up a little and curled her fingers into the hair at the base of his neck. His hands moved up and down the curve of her waist, then his grip tightened and he pulled her closer, drawing her toward his lap.

Somewhere in Sakura's foggy brain was the knowledge that they it was broad daylight and they were really close to camp, but the sensation of his fingers slipping under her shirt to brush against the small of her back was too delicious for her to care. Their kisses intensified until they were both breathing heavily. Sakura shifted her weight, ready to sink into his lap and feel his firm body molded against hers.

Suddenly a third tongue joined in.

Completely wrapped up in each other, they hadn't noticed Shiko dart out of the brush until she pounced on Sakura and began eagerly licking her chin. Sakura laughed and pushed the feisty ball of fluff away from her face and into her lap, where she began scratching her belly while Shiko tried to chew on her fingers.

Kakashi gave the pup a flat, knowing look, suspecting that she'd deliberately broken them apart. Sakura didn't realize it, but only because she was enamored by deceptive cuteness and wasn't yet aware of how clever a ninken could be—even a baby one.

Sakura looked up at him, green eyes sparkling with rueful amusement. She leaned toward him again, intent on a continuation of that amazing kiss. He leaned in as well, but a sudden unnatural rustle in the forest made them snap apart again. Kakashi quickly pulled his mask up.

Shiko growled and hurled herself out of Sakura's lap, ready to attack, until Sakura saw a leaping flash of yellow-orange and told her, "It's all right. That's one of Naruto's summons."

An unnaturally large toad—though smaller than some of his fellow toad spirits—hopped out of the brush and over to them. "There you guys are," the toad panted. "I looked all over camp."

It was probably a good thing they'd been interrupted, Sakura realized, or else the toad might have seen something far more explicit than kissing—and mentioned it to Naruto. "What's going on?" she asked, already getting up.

Shiko trotted boldly up to the toad. "You smell like water."

"Naruto sent me to find you," he said needlessly. He nervously turned around with Shiko as she circled him, sniffing. "Tenzou's finally returned with intel on the enemy and the poison they've been using."

"Oh good," Sakura exclaimed. "I have some theories I want to test."

"We'll be right there," Kakashi said, standing as well.

Disconcerted by the ninken, the toad vanished as soon as the message was delivered. Sakura and Kakashi made their way out of the little thicket, but before they reached the sentry line she grabbed his elbow. He turned to face her and she tugged gently on his arm to pull him closer, gave him an anticipatory smile. "See you later?"

"Mm," he murmured in reply, leaning into her upturned face. Sakura pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his masked lips, and gave him a sweet smile before they returned to a friendly distance and headed back to camp.

* * *

Tenzou's report was dire: an army of shinobi was massing to the north, near where they'd been attacked before. Moss and Fang, and what looked to be a large number of unaffiliated mercenaries as well. They matched the Leaf rebels in number, and it was possible more would join them. The tactical meeting following Tenzou's return was long and ominously unpleasant, and in the process of planning for an all-out war against their new enemies, it was decided that they needed help.

"Danzou's collecting these foreigners to make up for the numbers he lost when we left Konoha," Naruto had said. "He knows Root's not strong enough to wipe us out, so he's gathering allies to do it for him…I think it's time we get some allies of our own."

Sakura hadn't stuck around to hear who they planned to enlist to their cause and how. She had a very important task of her own to do. In addition to gathering intel on the enemy, Tenzou was supposed to find out how they made the poison they were coating their weapons with. He'd done one better by bringing back a _very_ fresh sample.

It turned out the source was a vibrantly colored, lethally toxic little tree frog. Sakura and Shizune set to work studying the deceptively cute creature and the chemical properties of the secretions from its spotted, turquoise-blue skin. It took the better part of the afternoon to analyze, for though the medics were poisons experts, they had nothing to work with but their own knowledge; no toxicology lab equipment, no tissue samples to test on, not even a microscope. They figured it out through trial and error, testing the toxin on various organic substances and watching what happened.

Karin reluctantly assisted them. She wouldn't go near the frog even though it was no longer alive, and was pinned to a flat board on a workbench in the building Tenzou had put up for them. She eyed it warily from across the room. "Do the Swamp nin breed them?" she wanted to know.

Sakura shook her head. "They absorb the toxins from their diet, so they usually lose their lethality in captivity. They must be catching them in the wild."

"How do they do it without killing themselves?"

"They might be, for all we know," Shizune said. "I'm sure it's not exactly a safe process. Obviously they're diluting the toxin in their coating substance, or the victims would have died in only a few minutes." She scrutinized the blade edge of a kunai with a magnifying glass she'd managed to dig up somewhere. "Well, we know it's definitely alkaline-based."

"It could be a batrachotoxin, which won't deteriorate when transferred to another surface," Sakura said, recalling what she'd read in her initial medical training when she was still working with animals. One type of poisonous frog toxin could be extracted into a painkiller that was two hundred times more potent than morphine…only it had the unfortunate side effect of causing serious gastrointestinal disasters in humans. She didn't want to imagine what the trials for _that_ had been like.

"There's definitely no sign of potency loss here," Shizune confirmed. She straightened up and gave Sakura a grim look. "But if it's a batrachotoxin….there's no way to make an antidote."

And that was a serious problem. "It's probably a different type. Batrachotoxins are extremely rare," she said optimistically. "It's only found in a few species…and unfortunately I can't remember which ones. They come in so many colors…"

There was a scratching noise at the door. Smiling, Sakura went to open it, but before she could their visitor opened it herself. Kakashi was right; ninken were definitely smarter than the average dog.

"Shiko be in here with you?" the pup asked her, tail wagging.

"Alright," Sakura agreed. "But you have to stay out of the way, okay?"

"'Kay!"

The pup pranced inside, and Sakura slid the door shut. When she turned around Shizune was grinning at her. "What?"

She shook her head in amusement. "I can't believe Kakashi gave you a ninken." She clearly wanted to say more, but after glancing at Karin she let it drop. When Sakura drew up beside her she murmured under her breath, "Tell me later."

"I told you already," Sakura said neutrally.

"You know what I mean." She looked at the puppy. "She's definitely a cutie."

"Shiko cute," the pup echoed. "What that smell?" In the blink of an eye she ran to the workbench and stood on her hindquarters, trying to inspect the frog.

"Shiko, _no_!" Sakura cried, rushing over and scooping the ninken into her arms. Shiko yelped in dismay. "That frog isn't like the one you met earlier. That one will kill you if you touch it, or even if you touch something _it_ was touching."

"Is dead frog," Shiko said, confused.

"The poison is in the skin, not the teeth. It doesn't matter that it's dead," she explained, and carried her over to the empty corner and set her down. "We're doing very dangerous work in here, and you have to stay out of the way or else you'll have to leave. Okay?"

The pup laid her ears back and curled in on herself. "'Kay. Shiko is good. Don't be mad."

Sakura stroked her reassuringly. "I'm not mad; you scared me. I don't want you to get hurt." Shiko lay down with her head on her paws and watched them quietly from the corner.

"Poisonous frogs only carry a handful of toxins, right?" Shizune said as Sakura came back to the workstation. "And we know this one comes from the Swamp country. So let's start by making a list of potential culprits and their known antidotes."

They worked on the datasheet for nearly half an hour, hunched over their cramped workspace on the other side of the counter from the frog. After several minutes of waiting and listening to the medics list off the gruesome effects of different poisons on the human body, Karin blurted, "I don't know how you guys can do this stuff for a living. It's gross, not to mention boring."

The medics turned to look at her with matching frowns. "Well if we _didn't_ do it for a living, four of our comrades would be dead right now," Shizune retorted. "Including Sakura, who saved your life when Uchiha Sasuke tried to kill you."

"One of them _is_ dead," she pointed out bluntly.

They stared at her in disbelief. She was always rude, but she was being particularly nasty today. "Medics aren't gods," Sakura said acidly. "Sometimes what we do isn't enough, and that's a heavy burden _we_ have to live with. We don't need to have it rubbed in." She turned back to her work, and shared an understanding glance with Shizune. "So. We have the herbs in storage to make antidotes for most of these. But how are we going to test them?"

Shizune thought it over a moment. "I hate to do it, but we could test it on mice or small animals."

Sakura frowned. "You know I hate testing on live animals. Too bad we had to leave our prisoner behind at the last jump."

"Hm, he would have made a fitting test subject," Shizune agreed. "Would necrotic tissue work?"

Sakura shrugged. "It's better than nothing. What do you have in mind?"

"They caught some fish from the river today; maybe we could get one to work with."

The mention of fish set her stomach gurgling. She never did eat lunch today, but making out with Kakashi instead had definitely been worth the sacrifice. She turned to Karin, who leaned against the wall. "Can you go see if you can get one, please?"

Karin crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "A dead fish? Seriously? You know, when you asked me to assist I didn't think it was to be your _errand girl_."

Shizune had had enough, and whipped around and snapped, "Well it's not like you ever want to do any _actual_ work, is it?"

"_Excuse me_ for not being a perfect little medic like you two."

"You could be a medic if you wanted to. We've both offered to teach you."

"Right, like I want to take lessons from you so you can look down on me even more."

"No one looks down on you," Sakura said. "If you don't have any friends it's because you're an antisocial bitch who doesn't pull her own weight."

Karin pushed off the wall and took a step toward Sakura, and for a second it looked like a threat. Then she noticed that Shiko had gotten to her feet and was staring at her very intently. "Whatever," she said, turning away with contrived flippancy. "Play with your dead animals on your own." She slammed the door on the way out.

"Good riddance," Shizune muttered. "I'll go get the damned thing myself."

Shiko settled back in her corner. "Red lady smell bad."

Sakura looked at her bemusedly. "Whatever else might be wrong with her, I'm sure she bathes."

"No," the ninken clarified, "smell _bad_. Like…meanness."

"She doesn't like us," Shizune reasoned, and went out to track down a fish.

Sakura opened the medical storage scrolls and laid out the herbs they would need for the antidotes, then she sat down on the floor with Shiko and let the puppy crawl into her lap. "Someday you'll be too big for this, you know," she told her affectionately.

"But not today," Shiko replied, curling into a ball. "Pet please."

Sakura obeyed. As she waited, smoothing her fingers through soft fur, she thought about what Shiko had said. Sakura made no secret about disliking Karin. She had always felt that way, ever since they met.

Team Kakashi had brought Karin back to Konoha for interrogation following medical treatment, after Sasuke turned on her. She'd been under house arrest when the coup happened, and somehow she'd managed to escape and hook up with Kiba and his sister Hana. Sakura had no idea why they let her come this far, why they hadn't sent her on her way once they found the rebels. Konoha didn't matter to Karin, and she had only been a nuisance. Now she knew too much and it was too late to let her leave.

The ninken's instinctive perception left Sakura uneasy. She'd heard animals could sense evil. Karin probably wasn't _evil_, but you never knew. _Meanness_. The word stuck in her mind. She made a mental note to talk to Naruto in the morning and see if anything could be done about Karin's antagonistic behavior.

Shizune finally returned, carrying three small river trout by the gills. "They're still pretty fresh," she said, closing the door behind her. "The tissue isn't decayed yet."

"Good," Sakura said, pushing Shiko off as she got up. "Let's get started."

Shizune gave her a devious smile. "You in some kind of hurry? Got a hot date later?"

Sakura scoffed. "Don't be silly."

"If you say so," she said. "Now are you going to tell me about—"

"_No_."

Shizune chuckled under her breath and went to lay the fish on the counter. Sakura sighed. It was going to be long night.

* * *

TBC


	12. Betrayal

So sorry for the long wait. This chapter was split in half, as it turned out to be 30+ pages. Which means Ch. 13 is already finished and will be posted much sooner.

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twelve: Betrayal

* * *

Konoha's official council chamber was somber and highly formal. The circular, starkly bare room had no windows or decorations on the dark stone walls, and the council members occupied low-seated chairs arranged in an arc at the center, beneath a single lamp that cast the fringes of the room into shadow and the seated figures in imposing contrast.

Hinata sat on the floor behind Danzou's chair, knees folded beneath her. Hyuuga Hiashi sat at Danzou's right. He had only glanced at Hinata once, no doubt to make sure she was comporting herself properly. Hinata had stared calmly into his disapproving eyes and felt nothing; no anxiety, no contempt. She felt little remaining attachment to him as her father, and she would gladly go her way and never speak to him again, if only she could free herself of his control. But as long as he was Danzou's right hand and she was stuck in this village, she had to dissemble and obey.

At the either end of the arc sat Kumamozu (with his bear beside him) and the leader of Moss, whose name, Hinata had finally learned, was Morioka. He was still a vile creep who looked at her like he wanted to eat her alive, so she stayed as far out of his line of sight as possible. The other chairs were filled by Danzou's councilors: all decrepit old men whose names Hinata could never care enough to remember.

They'd been talking for over four hours, and Hinata's knees were killing her. Danzou's method of governing was unusual to say the least; he was half dictator, half bureaucrat. Sometimes he gave orders to be followed immediately and without question, and at other times he would sit back and let his council of corrupted sycophants blather about how best to destroy everything Konoha was founded on. Tonight it was the latter.

Finally, when Hinata was nearly falling asleep, the conversation changed to a subject that made her heart drop into her stomach like a stone.

"Kumamozu, Morioka. Your forces have found Uzumaki and the rebels' location?"

"Yes," answered Morioka, his nasally voice echoing faintly in the bare room. "The information your informant gave us was accurate."

"And you confirmed that they are on the move?"

Kumamozu nodded. "South, more or less." His voice boomed deep and grating, like he'd swallowed a rock. "There's just one problem: this spy of yours doesn't know where they're going. They say this Uzumaki kid keeps a tight circle of confidants."

"Yes," Danzou drawled, "Hatake Kakashi is with him, I'm told. And it appears Tsunade's little apprentice has joined him now as well."

"Their overall number has grown quite large," Hiashi said, frowning. "I didn't think there were that many escaped traitors still alive. It's bad enough that we have insurgents within our own walls, proving to be as elusive as cockroaches."

"This rebel army must be eradicated before it grows any stronger, before they join with the radicals here," one of the other councilors agreed. "The fact that they have now acquired Konoha's two best medics is distressing."

Another councilor waved his hand dismissively. "Two medics hardly make a difference in a war, where casualties run high. No matter how good they are."

"Our initial skirmishes were largely unsuccessful, likely _because_ of their medics," Kumamozu countered. "As long as the number of casualties remains low, any damage we do will be undone."

"That problem is easy enough to solve," said Danzou. "Attack with greater numbers to inflict greater damage, and capture their medics."

"We should just kill them."

"No," Danzou said firmly. "They're too valuable to kill at this time."

Kumamozu grunted. "It's all well and good from your position in that comfy chair. The reality in the field's not so simple. They know they're being tracked, and their security is high. It won't be easy to get at their medics."

"Besides that," Morioka cut in, "didn't you say these medics were trained to fight by the Sannin Tsunade? My uncle was killed by her twenty years ago, his spine severed without a mark on his body. Rumor is, on the battlefield a medic can kill with a single touch. How do you expect they'll be taken _alive, _eh?"

"I'm sure you are competent enough to figure it out," Danzou said brusquely. "Tsunade's skill wasn't enough to save her in the end; her protégés will be no different. If you're afraid to face these women in a fight, then perhaps you should devise a way to use their strength against them." Ignoring their glares, he continued. "When can your forces launch a full-scale assault?"

"Impossible when they're on the move," said Kumamozu. "We can't catch up on foot when they teleport every three days or so."

"If we knew where they were going to end up we could be waiting when they got there," Morioka added.

"You say they are moving south. Konoha's influence in the southern region is minimal. They're heading there because they think the people will support them, or at the very least ignore their presence," Danzou explained dismissively. "However, they are unaware that I have agents and spies stationed in every town and village across the country. We will find them soon enough once they settle. In the meantime, the efforts to disrupt them while on the move must be increased."

Kumamozu crossed his arms over his burly chest. "I'm not going to waste the lives of my men on a wild goose chase."

"Agreed," said Morioka. "_You're_ the one with the spy inside their camp. Why don't you put 'em up to some sabotage, eh?"

Danzou's fingers drummed arrhythmically against the arm of his chair. He was visibly irritated by the two foreign leaders, but the fact that he held in his anger was proof of his need of them. "My Root agents can waylay them. It will be up to _you _to engage them in battle. Tell me where they are now, and it will be done tonight. Then while they are crippled and unable to move you will annihilate them."

Hinata's mouth had gone completely dry, her stomach twisted in knots. She stared at the floor, hiding frightened eyes behind the curtain of her hair. The next hour was the longest of her life. When the meeting finally ended she had to _walk_ behind Danzou to his office, wait upon him for another twenty minutes until he released her for the night, and then _walk_ home.

When she got there she found that her father hadn't retreated to his study as usual; he'd ordered the cooks to make a late dinner, and to Hinata's dismay he expected her to join him. For the next thirty minutes she stared at her plate and forced herself to eat, chewing and swallowing mechanically so she wouldn't draw suspicion. To make it worse, Neji kept staring at her like he could read her thoughts. As soon as she was able, she excused herself and went to her room. Though most of the household was asleep, there was still enough activity to make her usual routine impossible.

But there had to be a way. Naruto _had_ to be warned.

Hinata paced her room, chewing her thumbnail. What to do? She couldn't exactly sit by the pond and pass notes to a talking toad…

The answer came to her. She searched for a piece of paper and a pen, wrote her message, folded it into a one-inch square and slipped it into the waistband of her pants. She went to her vanity table, opened an ornate lacquered box containing her mother's jewelry and pulled out a beautiful fire-opal pendant hung from a silver chain. Concealing the necklace in her fist, she went outside.

The water garden was empty, though lights were still on and people moved through other parts of the house. Hinata walked across the stones toward the pond, head lowered as she pretended to search for something on the ground. As she neared the water's edge she whispered, "Gamagoru-san, are you there? Don't come out! It's not safe." She knelt down and searched through a patch of fern for a moment, and then reached under her jacket, pulled the folded note from her pants and quickly slipped it under a small rock. "As soon as I'm gone, take this note to Naruto. It's an emergency!" A low croak came from somewhere in the rushes.

A door slid open behind her and she heard her father's voice, and then Neji's as they left the dining room and walked down the hall. The shoji doors were open to the balmy night air, and she knew they could see her. It took all of her control to appear outwardly composed and keep up her charade. She dropped the necklace into the grass, and after a few more seconds of 'searching,' picked it up again with the other hand. Dangling it visibly between her fingers, she calmly stood and walked back toward the house.

"You've been spending a lot of time in the garden," Hiashi remarked as he approached. Neji turned the corner and headed toward his room, only sparing a brief glance in their direction. He'd been acting strange lately. Hinata might think he was part of the insurgency, if she wasn't part of it herself. One of these days she was going to find out what he was up to.

"I like to meditate there. It's peaceful," she explained. "The other night I dropped Mother's necklace." She held it up for him to see.

Something in Hiashi's eyes softened as he looked at the glimmering opal that once belonged to his wife, something that was never present when he looked at his children. When he spoke his voice was softer than Hinata had heard it in ages. "I didn't know you wore it."

She never had, or any of the other exquisite and expensive ornaments of her inheritance, but she hadn't thought anyone would ever notice. "I do sometimes." The lie made her feel bad, not because she told it, but because it _was_ a lie. All she remembered of her mother was a hazy face and a feeling of warmth and security, yet it was still the honest truth when she added, "I miss her."

"As do I." After a long moment of silent appraisal, he hesitantly placed his hand on Hinata's head. "You look more like her every day."

A pang of sadness stabbed through her. This was her father, and it hurt to hate him. For most of her life she had lived to earn his approval, and never even came close. He was cold and ambitious, and a traitor now as well, and he had never been kind to her…but maybe he did love her in what he understood love to be. Or maybe he didn't. She doubted she would ever know.

Hinata wished it could be different, but as he touched her now she felt no love for him, only the desire to pull away.

"I'm going to stay the night with Moegi," she said, bringing the uncomfortable moment to an end. She wouldn't have told him, except that it was hours after curfew and if Root happened to stop her on the way he could confirm her 'harmless intent.'

Her father's hand dropped to his side and the faint sneer returned to his face. He didn't like her consorting with 'that type' of girl, which Hinata could only assume to mean common and poor. But since she was no longer heiress—that dubious honor had passed to Neji only days after the coup—he was no longer as adamant about dictating what she did and with whom. As long as it didn't hurt the Hyuuga position with Danzou—that was the caveat to everything.

"Very well," he said, like she'd asked his permission. "Be sure you're on time for work tomorrow. Duty comes before…personal interests."

Hinata didn't dignify that with a response. It was possible he even thought she meant to _stay the night_ with Moegi, he knew so little about his own daughter. "Goodnight, Father," she said, and headed back to her room without waiting for his response. He didn't give one anyway.

Sick with worry over Naruto, and the fact that she was over an hour late, she stuffed her pajamas and toothbrush into a backpack and rushed out the door as fast as walking would allow. She took a shortcut to Moegi's house, and as she went up the short path to the front door, she used her Byakugan to observe all the figures crowded into the basement below her feet. She was shocked to see nearly forty people down there, what must be the entire insurgency, all gathered for the first time ever. It was dangerous for them all to meet like this. If _she_ could see them, then so could another Hyuuga who was loyal to Danzou.

Something big was happening if they were willing to take such a risk. And they didn't even know what she knew yet.

The door opened three seconds after her knock and Moegi put on the usual show of hugging and eagerly pulling her inside, babbling about how much fun they were going to have. As soon as the door closed she turned to her and hissed, "Where the hell have you been?"

"I just now got away. The council had a meeting tonight. There's bad news."

Inoichi was standing by the window and had seen her walk up. He straightened and came over, his expression grave. "How bad?"

"Life or death bad."

"Come on." Konoha's chief interrogator led her down to the basement, where he interrupted the discussion so she could give her news.

"Danzou has a spy in Naruto's camp. He knows they're in Fire country," she said. The sudden, intense attention made her uncomfortable, but the situation was too dire for timidity. "Root is going to ambush them tonight, and afterward the armies from Moss and Fang will engage them in battle. I've already warned Naruto—"

"Warned him?" Tsume exclaimed._ "Ho_w?"

Only a few knew of Hinata's communication with Naruto. With a nod from Shikaku that it was alright, Hinata explained it to the others. She prayed Naruto had gotten the message by now and the rebels were on the move. They only had a few hours before the mercenary armies closed in around them.

"You say they're in Fire _right now_?" asked Yuugao. "What are they doing so close to Konoha? It may be too late for them to escape without a fight."

Hinata would have told her that the rebels were going to the Fire Temple, but she didn't want to say it in front of everyone else. She trusted her fellow insurgents, but the fewer who knew important information like that, the better.

"They're jumping," Shikaku explained, coming to her rescue. "They can make it if they take action right away."

"The war for Konoha is about to begin in full," Yoshino said ominously. "We need to be ready."

"Our plan couldn't come at a better time, it seems," her husband said, smirking.

"What plan?" Hinata suspected this was what had brought them all together tonight.

Inochi put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you know that next weekend Danzou and his cronies are holding a banquet celebrating Leaf's new alliance with Moss and Fang."

Hinata knew, all right: she'd been instructed to wait upon them like a serving girl, pouring drinks and lighting cigars. There was nothing wrong with being a serving girl, but Hinata was an experienced ninja. A soldier. Yet in the eyes of those geezers she was just a female, and women existed to serve men. It was unforgivably insulting. "Yes," she said flatly.

"You can barely contain your excitement, I see. Well you might not want to skip out on this one."

"Why?"

His smile was wicked. "Because we're planning to serve up some just deserts."

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning when Sakura and Shizune left the little hut. After almost twelve hours of trial and error they had finally succeeded in creating the antidote. It was worth every second of work, every ounce of exhaustion weighing on their minds and bodies, because no one else would die from poisoning.

"'Night," Shizune muttered listlessly, and turned in the direction of the tent she shared with Genma.

"'Night," Sakura echoed, and trudged toward her own tent. Shiko followed at her heels with more energy than Sakura thought was natural. Outside the tent she was sharing with Tenten, she knelt down and whispered to the pup, "You can go back to your home for the night if you want."

"Shiko not have home no more. Stay with you?"

Her grammar is atrocious, Sakura thought, but at least she knows how to keep her voice down. "You can stay, but you'll have to settle down and go to sleep. I can't have you waking people up. Or keeping _me_ up."

"Yes, Shiko is good."

Yawning, Sakura untied the flap and crawled inside, and waited for the ninken to come in before tying it closed again. Tenten mumbled into her pillow and turned to face the tent wall, but she didn't wake. Shiko turned circles and settled into a little ball at the foot of Sakura's bedroll, and Sakura stripped down to her shorts and tank top. She let her hair down and finger combed it before she pulled open her sleeping bag…and noticed that something was in her bed.

There was just enough light to see by as she picked up the plastic packet, and a smile spread across her face. Kakashi had left her half of his jerky.

Sakura sighed. She would rather have found _Kakashi_ waiting in her bedroll. She'd really hoped to see him again tonight, spend some time together and pick up where they left off _again_…. Were they ever going to have more than a few minutes' privacy to explore this new thing between them? Other people around here managed to do it. Literally. But other people weren't Naruto's teammates who he relied upon to perform crucially important tasks.

Sakura supposed they would just have to _make_ time.

She quietly put her boots back on. Shiko looked up at her curiously, and she leaned over and whispered into the pup's ear. The ninken silently left the tent and trotted away. Sakura followed her out and walked further into the forest, away from camp.

#

Something cold and wet on the back of his hand startled Kakashi out of sleep. Only his trained reflexes kept him from instinctively attacking whatever had invaded his tent unnoticed. Slowly, and rather groggily, he sat up. Two dark round eyes stared back at him from a furry little face. Shiko. No normal dog could have snuck up on him like that. Or on Tenzou, who had his head buried under his pillow and hadn't so much as twitched. Even _his_ dogs weren't that stealthy. This pup had serious potential. She was going to be incredibly dangerous someday.

His first thought was that Sakura needed his help, but he quickly realized the ninken was too calm and quiet for that. She must be here at Sakura's behest. No words needed to be exchanged. Kakashi threw a shirt on, pulled his mask up and his boots on, and followed her outside.

The trees obscured the moon from view, but it had to be well into the wee hours. Sakura had better have a good reason for interrupting his beauty sleep. Shiko led him away from the tents and further into the woods. It didn't take long to recognize where they were going; the treestump clearing where they'd been earlier today.

The grove was tinted silver by a beam of moonlight shining down through the gap in the canopy. Sakura was waiting there, arms folded around herself though the night was warm and humid, gazing up through the trees as if trying to see the moon. It was like something out of a fairytale: a man lured into the woods to find a beautiful nymph waiting to seduce him. Of course in the fairytale, the beautiful nymph was usually plotting the unsuspecting man's imminent demise…but he was pretty sure Sakura had something more mutually enjoyable in mind.

She sensed more than heard his approach, and when she spotted him emerging from the darkness, a glowing smile lit her face. The ninken trotted off into the woods, her job done, and Kakashi drew up to the smiling kunoichi. The way she looked at him spread a warm feeling through his chest.

"Sorry I woke you," she said in a near-whisper.

"Liar," he returned just as softly. "If you were sorry you wouldn't have done it." He curved his hand over her hip, around to the small of her back. "But I'm not complaining."

Sakura leaned into him. Her hair gleamed lavender in the moonlight, falling in soft waves over her shoulders and back. He liked it long, and definitely liked it down like this, though he preferred her in the sun, where he could see the dusting of freckles on her nose and the deep green facets of her eyes, the blush of her cheeks and the tiny flash of pink tongue as she chewed her lip out of habit.

She reached up and pulled his mask down, already comfortable with tearing down his barriers, as he was already strangely comfortable with letting her. As her fingertips lingered against his face, he said, "I imagined it would be _you_ sneaking into my tent."

Her lips curved ironically, like she'd thought about doing that very thing. "I didn't want to draw attention. Besides, aren't you sharing a tent with Tenzou?"

His other hand joined the first around her waist. "Yes, but he sleeps like a log."

Sakura stifled a giggle. "I dare you to say that to him." Her hands came to rest against his chest. "So what exactly did you imagine?" she asked teasingly. "Probably something completely perverted."

"Oh, definitely," he nodded, "I have a very detailed imagination."

Smiling, she wound her arms around his neck. "Show me."

He was already moving her backward, into the shadows at the edge of the grove. His mouth found hers and there was no more hesitation, only hunger and desire. They were tired of being interrupted, and now they seized the opportunity to make up for it. His arms tightened around her, and he lifted her with graceful ease and held her against the wide trunk of an ancient tree. "That's better," he murmured, his lips still on hers. "You're too short."

Sakura locked her legs around his waist, smiled against his mouth. "_You're_ too tall."

Despite their height issue being rectified, they didn't kiss again. Kakashi simply gazed at her with quietly full eyes. Sakura could guess what he was feeling, because she was feeling it too. Exhilaration. A little bit of fear as they tread on unfamiliar ground. Wonder at something completely new, yet at the same time so familiar and comfortable.

Softly, she fanned her fingertips across his unshaven jaw. Apparently Kakashi used his mask as an excuse to shave only once or twice a week, but she decided she kind of liked him this way. She traced the white line of his scar up to his lips, replacing her fingers with her mouth. She ran her tongue across his lower lip, reveling in his sharp intake of breath and the realization that his skin was sensitive in the places normally covered by his mask. She tested her theory further by nibbling, and was rewarded with a soft groan. Kakashi broke from her lips and kissed a trail along her jaw, down to her neck. Sakura tilted her head for him, fingers tightening in his hair as she closed her eyes and sighed in pure pleasure.

It wouldn't go any further than this, she knew. Their first time wasn't going to be a quickie in the woods with the sentries within earshot and her back scraping against the rough bark of a tree. She wanted their first time as lovers to be a fitting acknowledgment of the history between them, of the huge leap forward they had taken. She wanted it to be amazing, and she knew it would be, because if Kakashi could _kiss_ like this then his other talents must be phenomenal.

They wouldn't have to wait long. They would reach the Fire Temple tomorrow night, where they would be safe enough to let down their guard a little, and where they would hopefully once again have their own private quarters.

That thought in mind, she met Kakashi's lips again and surrendered herself to the moment.

* * *

Diffused gray light was just starting to filter through the trees. Soon the birds would wake and fill the stillness with their morning songs, but now the forest was silent in the early hour before dawn. It was 4am, and time for the third watch to be relieved.

Raido was glad; he'd been on duty for twelve straight hours after taking a double shift. Chiyo was originally assigned the third watch, but she was still recuperating from being poisoned. His bad knee was killing him after squatting in this tree all night. He planned to hit his bedroll and sleep until the jump later tonight, and if Aoba woke him up with his snoring again there would be hell to pay.

Now if only his relief ever managed to show up. A few minutes weren't a big deal…unless it was during war. He couldn't leave his post to look for his replacement himself, and there was no one else around at this hour, so he was forced to sit and wait. Nearly fifteen minutes past the scheduled time, he finally heard someone approaching from behind in the camp. But when he turned to look it wasn't who he expected.

He hopped down from the branch, landing silently. "You're not Kiba."

"Your observation skills are top notch," Karin said dryly. "He's sick; I'm his replacement."

"Sick? Not poison again…"

"_Food_ poisoning, maybe," she said with a faint snort. "Or he drank too much."

Raido frowned. "_Drank_ too much?"

Karin shrugged. "I know some of the guys have a bottle of something stashed somewhere. I dunno, okay? All I know is he said he was sick and he asked me to take his watch. Is that a problem?"

The young Inuzuka was cocky and often inappropriate, but Raido had never heard of him being irresponsible. Security was something to be taken very seriously, and these younger shinobi who hadn't been in the last war didn't really understand that. Some lessons shouldn't need to be learned the hard way. "Yes it's a problem," he grunted. "But not with you. I'll have a little chat with Inuzuka tomorrow." He unfastened the radio mic from around his neck and handed it to the girl. "Third shift ends at eight, but don't leave until you're relieved by the next watch."

"I know that. I've pulled watch before."

"That's reassuring, at least. You'll need to identify yourself to the other sentries over the chan-" His head whipped around in the direction of the forest beyond the perimeter. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

She hadn't bothered to lower her voice, and Raido glared at her. Her eyes had gone wide, but her expression was oddly blank. "It sounded like some kind of…" He looked back into the gray darkness of the forest, reached an arm out behind him. "Give me the radio, I want to ask the others—"

His hand closed around the cold plastic of the radio. In the same second, there was a sharp, searing pain in his neck followed by a dizzying rush through his limbs. He lurched around to face his attacker, a flash of red in his periphery, only to feel another sharp pain as the blade twisted and tore. Raido fell to his knees, clutching at his throat. The red liquid gushing through his fingers was strangely hot while the rest of his body had gone terribly cold. He tried to cry out, but his ruined esophagus only emitted hideous gargling sounds.

He collapsed onto his side, and through wide eyes saw a pair of boots as his attacker knelt beside him slowly, casually. A female hand picked up the radio. There was static noise as she changed the frequency. He grasped at her but she was well out of reach. He tried to crawl, reach for his weapons, anything, but his limbs would not respond. Raido could only gape helplessly as Karin's voice spoke hollowly into the mic:

"Operation initiated. Commence phase two."

A wave of static presaged the response. "Copy. Confirm again, all clear?"

"Roger. The north perimeter is open."

* * *

Naruto dashed through the rows of tents, pausing every few meters to shake one and rouse those sleeping inside. His toads were doing the same all around him, waking everyone and warning them to silently prepare for battle. It was going well; no one could execute a silent muster like an army of shinobi. They'd been warned in time, and they would be ready when the enemy came.

When he came to Kakashi and Tenzou's tent he was dismayed to find only one of them in it. "Where the hell is Kakashi?" he demanded of his former team leader.

"No idea," Tenzou answered, fully alert and battle-serious despite the rude awakening. "I don't know that he ever came in tonight." Naruto left him there and continued on toward Sakura's tent. Before he got there he finally saw Kakashi emerging from the forest, with Sakura behind him picking leaves out of her hair. "There you are!"

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.

"I got an emergency message from Hinata," he explained. "Danzou knows where we are and he's sent forces to attack us. I already sent Gamakichi to tell the jump team to prepare."

"Is there enough time for that?" asked Sakura. "Did Hinata say when the attack was coming?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but before he could shouts of alarm rang out from the north side of camp. Shinobi started running toward the commotion.

Looking in the direction of the noise, Kakashi said, "It's already here."

Without another word they split off in different directions; Naruto heading into the fray, Kakashi and Sakura running to their tents to arm themselves before doing the same.

#

Shiko ran to Sakura's side as she strapped on her medic's apron and grabbed her kusarigama. The pup seemed to understand what was happening; her hackles were raised and she paced around Sakura fearlessly, eyes alert. Sakura didn't doubt she was capable of being very dangerous, but she was still just a baby. She wanted to put the pup in the tent and have her hide until it was safe, but she tamped down on the urge. Shiko wasn't a dog, she was a _ninken_—her partner in combat. It was sooner than expected or desired, but that partnership started now.

"Stay by my side at all times," Sakura told her as they sprinted toward the battle together. The enemy had caught them by surprise and had overrun their defenses with almost no resistance, and the fighting had already burst from the forest into camp. Through the smoke and darkness she was surprised to see her fellow rebels weren't fighting Moss and Fang—they were fighting Root.

A cold rage burned through her at the sight of the masked nin. Sakura leapt into the fray with no thought in her mind other than doing serious damage to the traitors who inflicted so many atrocities on their own countrymen. They were the reason the true Leaf nin were homeless fugitives, the reason so many families had been torn apart. They were the reason Tsunade was dead, along with Ino and Chouji and so many others – including those they were killing right now.

This was her first full-scale battle, and in battle one had to be aware of the entire three hundred sixty degrees around themselves, requiring an intense in-the-now focus that made it difficult to clearly recall what happened. Afterward, it would all become a blur. But right now Sakura saw people fighting everywhere as jutsu and weapons hurtled through the air in all directions, making the combat zone twice as dangerous.

She saw two Leaf nin being overwhelmed by Root agents. She flung the weighted chain of her kusarigama around the neck of one and yanked him toward her, and the chakra covering the chain nearly severed his head. A second enemy broke from the group to face off with her. She swung her weapon several times, but he drew his sword and blocked her attacks, eventually tangling the chain around the blade and rendering it useless. Sakura used her superior strength and jerked the taut chain, ripping the sword right out of his hand. He drew two kunai and ran at her, parrying her slash with one and stabbing at her with the other. She ducked backward and kicked him hard in the stomach. He buckled over instantly, his organs ruptured from the force. Having learned her lesson after what happened with Kakashi, she made sure her enemy was dead before moving on.

As she ran another masked nin leapt at her from above in the trees, and due to the smoke and semidarkness she didn't see him until he was on her. She turned just in time to avoid a hit in the back and his kunai ripped into her shoulder as they went down together. He had at least fifty pounds on her and his weight was crushing. He stabbed again, but she got an arm free and caught his wrist, breaking it with a squeeze. As he grunted and reared back Sakura drove her fist into his skull and crushed it.

Before she could rise someone came out of the smoke and kicked at her head, barely missing. She arched sideways and hooked both of her legs around his, twisting and rolling. The assailant's knee snapped and he went down. Then Shiko was on him, snarling viciously and tearing with her teeth at anything she could reach, but she was still too small and light to be deadly to a grown man and he threw her off at the cost of a severely mangled arm. Sakura had rolled to her knees and recovered her weapon by then, and finished it with a single strike.

The moment she got to her feet she was set upon by three more Root agents, one of whom grabbed her around the torso, pinning her arms to her sides. Pain lanced through her arm as the pressure of the hold tore her wound wider, and she was forced to drop her weapon. The second agent came at her with a kunai, but she kicked outward with both legs and he recoiled. Before he could come again she planted her feet firmly on the ground, channeled chakra through her legs, hurled herself and the nin holding her upward, and as the one holding her lost his footing he also loosened his grasp. She grabbed his arm, bent double and flung him over her body into the other agent, dislocating his arm in the process. The agents almost went down together, but the one with the kunai threw the other off and ran at her. He was disoriented from the impact and she used his momentum against him, grabbing him by the shoulder and head and driving him face first into the nearest tree trunk.

Shiko was busy harrying the third one, dodging his kicks and slashes and keeping him too busy to attack her human. Sakura used the distraction to flash-step behind him and snap his neck. But it wasn't over. The agent with the dislocated arm was on his feet and running at her, slashing with a ninjato. Then he suddenly stopped and froze, his head swiveling in confusion as he tried to figure out why.

Sakura saw why: bands of darkness had wrapped around his torso and arms. She could only imagine the masked man's expression of shock and horror as he turned his blade on himself. He hung suspended in death for several seconds before the bands disappeared and he fell to the ground. A moment later Shikamaru emerged from the smoke-filled shadows.

"Thanks," she told him, breathing hard with pain and exertion.

He nodded once. "It's over. They're retreating."

Finally there was a moment of respite to catch her breath and see what was going on around her. The fight was indeed over. Only a few living Root agents could be seen, flickering away into the trees as Leaf rebels gave chase. A giant plume of smoke and dust rose into the lightening sky at the north end of camp, where it looked like several trees had been razed. Sakura had a feeling that was where Naruto was.

Shikamaru looked her over, eyes stopping on her bloody arm. "You should take care of that." His clothes were singed and he had a burn on the right side of his face and neck, but it was mild.

Sakura glanced at her own injury. It wasn't as bad as if felt. She would have to bind it and stop the bleeding so she wouldn't faint, but there were other people who were sure to be worse off. "I will." She knelt down and held her arm out to Shiko, who ran over eagerly.

"Shiko do good?"

Sakura ran her hands over the pup's head and neck. She'd been thrown pretty hard, but nothing seemed to be broken. "Very good. Are you hurt?"

"No."

She stood and turned to Shikamaru, nodded toward the north. "Is that where Naruto is?"

"Last I saw," he confirmed.

That was where the fighting started and probably where the most people in need of medical attention would be, so she started in that direction. Shiko followed at her heels. Halfway there she heard Sai call her name and tuned to see him running up to her. She immediately gave him a visual checkup; he was dirty, scuffed and bloody, but moved like he was uninjured.

"I'll help you gather the wounded," he said.

"Thanks. Are you hurt?" He shook his head 'no,' and they continued toward the north perimeter together. "How did this happen?" she wondered dismally, looking around at the grisly aftermath; smoke and dust and blackened trees, dead Root agents and blood soaking the earth. "How did they get past the perimeter unnoticed?"

Sai shook his head. "I don't know. My guess is—" He stopped in his tracks and stared into the trees on their left. "Is that…?"

Sakura turned to see what he was looking at. Someone was moving away from the camp at a quick but stealthy pace, someone who was not a Root agent, cloaked in black and carrying a satchel. They looked back to each other in understanding: one of their own was trying to escape in the chaos. There was only one person who would want to do that—the mole. Sai seemed to come to the same conclusion, and they both started running toward the retreating figure.

The cloaked person looked back over their shoulder and started to run. As they got closer, Shiko lifted her nose to the air and said, "Red lady."

"Karin!" Sakura growled, and ran harder. The fleeing woman stumbled on a root, and that was when Sai caught her, grabbed her by the back of her neck and slammed her to the ground. She fought beneath him and pulled a kunai from inside the folds of her cloak, and actually cut him before Shiko bit her arm and forced her to drop it. Sakura pinned her down with chakra strength.

"Why are you running?" Sakura demanded, shaking her roughly. "Were you part of this?"

Karin growled and thrashed, but behind her glasses her eyes were strangely free of malice or fear. Sakura knew Karin despised her, and she expected a string of nasty words, but it was like she didn't even recognize her. She wouldn't submit and continued to struggle violently, so not knowing what else to do, Sakura knocked her out cold.

She looked over at Sai, who was examining a two inch cut on his wrist. "How bad is it?"

"Just a scratch," he said. "It won't even need stitches."

Sakura took hold of his wrist and verified it for herself. "Wrap it and let me know immediately if you start feeling strange." She eyed Karin's kunai on the ground. "It doesn't look poisoned, but you can't always tell."

"Let's take her to Naruto," he said, and hoisted the unconscious woman over his shoulder. There was no need to tie her up; if she woke up and fought Sakura would be more than glad to knock her out again.

* * *

TBC


	13. Revelations

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

* * *

Sakura and Sai trekked back toward the north perimeter with their prisoner. A smoking crater almost fifty feet wide was sunk into the earth, and the trees that once stood there and all around had been snapped and splintered like twigs. Naruto stood on the near side of the crater talking to four ANBU, but jogged over when he saw them approach. He was dirty like the rest of them and his pants were torn, but the few scrapes and bruises he'd received were already healing on their own. When he saw who they brought with them his expression darkened.

"We caught her trying to run," Sai explained, unceremoniously dumping his burden on the ground.

"So it was her," Naruto said angrily. "I was starting to suspect, but I didn't think Danzou would be that obvious."

"He did exactly the opposite of what he assumed you would expect him to do."

"But why her?" Sakura wondered. "She has no more reason to ally with Danzou than any of us. She even supported Sasuke in his plans to kill him."

Naruto stared down at Karin, shook his head. "Why does she do anything? Why did she work for Orochimaru for so many years? Truth is we don't know much of anything about her, but we'll find out soon enough."

"What are we going to do with her?"

"First we're going to find out why she did this. Then…" He sighed wearily. "I don't know what will happen. There's going to be a cry for justice. Some of our comrades will want her head…and I can't blame them. The three sentries who were on the north perimeter are dead. Their throats were cut from behind…from _inside_ the camp. The assassin used one of their radios to alert Root waiting nearby. That's how they got in unnoticed."

Sakura looked from Naruto to Karin in dismay. "It was _her_?" Karin was a spiteful bitch, but it was hard to believe she was capable of such calculated malice.

"That's what we're going to find out. I'll take her and have Tenzou set up a secure room. Can you find Kakashi and send him my way?"

Sakura was eager to find Kakashi as well. "I will. Then I need to see to the wounded."

Naruto was quiet a moment, then hesitantly said, "If you're able later…I'd like you to assist the interrogation."

Sakura knew how difficult it was for Naruto to make those kinds of decisions. "I'll be there when I can. Have you seen Shizune?"

The grim look on his face filled her with momentary dread, but he realized what she was thinking and said, "She's not hurt." He pointed north, across the crater. "Over there."

His vagueness was worrying, but she didn't ask, knowing she'd find out shortly. To her surprise, Sai came with her. "You're not staying for the interrogation?" she asked him as they picked their way through the debris.

"I said I'd help you with the wounded. I think you're going to need it."

It was an hour until dawn, and light enough to see without difficulty. That made what they found at the north perimeter line all the more dreadful.

Shizune was curled over the body of Raido, her hands and knees stained from the pool of dark blood surrounding him. Her hands were on his neck, as though she'd tried in vain to heal him. Genma crouched beside her and held her in his arms, his head lowered against hers. Aoba knelt on her other side with his arm around her shoulders. All three wept openly.

They were teammates, childhood friends. Shizune had only been reunited with them a few weeks ago after years apart...she'd been so joyful that day, when Raido had swung her around in a bear-hug.

Sakura couldn't help but think of herself in the same situation, of what she would do if she lost one of her teammates so suddenly and gruesomely. She leaned against Sai instinctively and tried to link her arm through his, but he laid it around her shoulders instead. They held each other in a few moments of silent sorrow, then turned and walked away.

Shizune never saw her, and Sakura was glad. Her friend was incapable of dealing with the wounded right now and if she'd seen Sakura she might have tried to force herself out of duty.

They headed back into the main area of camp. There were no wounded at the perimeter, only the dead, and Sakura could do nothing for them.

Seven had been killed in total, and eighteen more had injuries of varying severity. Sakura enlisted anyone she could find who wasn't hurt to assist her in setting up a triage. Most shinobi were trained in basic medical care, and the more help she had the better. She used her chakra sparingly—only enough to stop bleeding, seal wounds, and set broken bones. Anything less serious was bandaged or splinted until the Leaf rebels reached the Fire Temple where they would have more time and resources.

#

Once everything was under control and the critical cases were seen to, Sakura sent most of her 'volunteers' to help elsewhere. Sai left to help with the burial detail. He felt a particular sense of responsibility toward the dead and injured in this conflict, as he was constantly aware that a minor change in circumstances could have easily had him on the other side.

If he'd never been placed on Team Kakashi in order to spy on Naruto, or if he'd never requested to stay on the team under the pretense of 'continued observation'…. He stopped those thoughts before they developed further. He never used to think such pointless thoughts as _what-ifs_. In fact he never used to think much at all, and sometimes he wondered if life had been easier that way.

"Sai!"

He turned to see Hanabi hurrying to catch up. They'd spent a lot of time together recently on recon missions, and he liked her. More importantly, she actually liked him. He'd seen her at the triage—he always noticed her presence—but they hadn't had a chance to speak. She fell into step beside him. "Why'd you take off without saying anything?"

"You looked busy," he said. "I didn't want to bother you." It was only partly true. He rather wanted to be alone right now.

She shrugged. "You never bother me." People tended to be exasperated or outright offended by his bluntness, but as an aristocrat, she'd been raised under rigid rules of propriety and social expectation and she despised it. She never wanted him to be anything other than exactly who he was.

He said, "You're the first person to ever say that."

She gave him a small, wry smile. "Where are you going?"

"To see if they need help with the burials."

She simply nodded and continued on with him. After several moments of silence, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Look around; it's quite obvious." It came out more harshly than he intended.

"I meant what's wrong with _you_," she retorted calmly.

Sai didn't answer; he didn't really know how. Something caught his eye, and he slowed and came to a stop.

"What is it?" Hanabi followed his gaze and saw the corpse of a Root agent lying several feet away. Sai walked over and knelt beside the dead man, and she silently came up behind him.

Slowly he reached out and removed the white mask, looked into the young man's face and wide, lifeless eyes. "I recognize him," he said quietly. "But I don't know his name. None of us had names. I only have a name because…" He stood abruptly and stared at the mask in his hands, fingers clenched white around the carved wood.

Hanabi laid a hand on his arm. "Sai?"

"When I think that…I used to be one of them," he began. "I did terrible things like this all the time, without question, without thought, no loyalty to anyone or anything…"

She stepped in front of him and grasped both of his shoulders. "Hey. You're nothing like that. You—"

"You're wrong," he said curtly. "For most of my life I was _exactly_ like that. I did whatever I was told and never thought about the consequences."

"Most shinobi _don't_ think about the consequences of their actions; it's the only way they can live with themselves. You were _brainwashed_," she said pointedly, gazing up into his face. "You never knew anything else, never knew there was another way until someone showed you. It's not entirely your fault…and I guess…" the next words were like bile in her throat, "I guess that means it's not entirely _their_ fault either." She squeezed his shoulders. "What matters is that you broke free and are able to choose for yourself now. And the choices you've made have been good ones, because you're a good person."

Sai stared into her opalescent eyes. A torrent of conflicting emotions, many he didn't know how to identify, swirled around inside him. Finally he locked on to one particular thought and said, "It all goes back to Danzou."

"_Yes_," she agreed ardently. "And he _will_ pay for what he's done to Konoha, and to you and those other poor boys."

Sai nodded slowly, feeling a little better, though not entirely. Once again he knelt beside the body of the nameless man, carefully laid the mask on his chest, and closed his staring eyes.

When he rose Hanabi surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck. What surprised him even more was that he automatically hugged her back. The only girl he'd even hugged before was Sakura, and somehow those times felt different than this. She released him and grabbed his hand, and with a little tug, they continued walking.

When she let go after a minute, Sai was acutely aware of the cold spot left by the absence.

#

Sakura had no idea how much time had passed as she worked on the injured, but the sky was bright when Kakashi walked up to her as she finished securing the binding on her patient's thigh. "All done," she told the woman, and helped her to her feet. The jounin thanked her and limped away. She turned to Kakashi. "Where were you? I looked but couldn't find you."

"I led the group that gave chase. There weren't many left, and we thought we might be able to finish them off."

She wiped her hands on her shorts. "Did you?"

"Not all of them. We pulled back before we got too close to Konoha." His eyes carefully took her in. "I'm glad you're okay." He lightly touched the ends of her hair, and then his fingers trailed down to her shoulder and brushed gently over the bandage around her upper arm.

"Hurts like hell, but it's not serious," she said. "Are you hurt anywhere?" He shook his head. She wanted to hold him and feel his arms around her, but it didn't feel right to indulge in selfish pleasures just now. "Raido is—"

"I saw," he returned quietly.

She reached for his hand. "I'm sorry."

Kakashi gave the faintest nod, but said nothing. The hollow sadness in his eyes was distressing to her. It was the same look he'd had the night she found him at the memorial stone in the freezing rain. It was as though he'd dealt with this so often he was simply resigned to the inevitability of loss.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked after a moment.

"With Karin…"

He frowned in confusion. "_Karin?_"

He still didn't know what happened, she realized. She told him what she knew and watched his eyes grow dark and angry, his shoulders tensing with suppressed fury. Before she even finished speaking he turned and stormed away. Sakura followed quickly after him.

They found the building without much trouble, right in the middle of camp—a ten-by-ten structure of solid wood without any windows. Kakashi pounded the door once with his fist. From inside they heard Shikamaru's muted voice call out, "_Who is it?_"

"Kakashi and Sakura," he answered.

The door swung open and they stepped into the dark interior. Though there were no windows, there was a skylight in the middle of the ceiling and a bright beam of morning sunlight shone directly down on Karin, who was strapped to a wooden chair with chakra wires, while everyone around her was cast in dim shadow by contrast. Shikamaru's cigarette smoke curled visibly through the bright shaft and filled the close air with a thick, cloying odor, but everyone was too preoccupied to mind much.

"She's still unconscious?" Sakura asked, perplexed. "I knocked her out like two hours ago…"

"You did more than knock her out," Naruto said. "You broke her jaw. You're gonna have to heal it before she can talk."

Sakura stepped closer and saw it was true; one side of her face was swollen and badly bruised. She didn't feel bad in the slightest; in fact, a part of her had wanted to do worse. Sighing, she laid her hand on the side of Karin's face and began to mend the damage.

"I don't think she's still out from your hit," said Shikamaru. "We've tried to wake her but she's unresponsive to stimuli. It's not natural."

"You mean like a coma?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You're the medic."

Sakura sent her chakra into Karin's head and poked around a little. There was a definite blockage to her senses and very little brain activity, only enough to operate life functions. But though it had all the signs of a coma, it wasn't. "You're right; it's not normal," she said, frowning. "It's almost like a…a trance." What she'd noticed earlier came back to mind. "When we caught her trying to escape she was acting strange—she didn't seem afraid or angry or anything. I got the feeling she didn't even recognize me."

There was nothing they could do but wait for their prisoner to wake up—if she ever did. As Sakura worked on Karin's jaw, they discussed what they knew of the attack.

"They were clearly outnumbered," Shikamaru said, "and the tactics they used are proof they didn't come to annihilate, but to cripple. It was a strike force with a specific objective – to make sure we can't leave. Another, larger force is coming to finish the job."

"They have to be at least half a day away," Tenzou said. "The scouts we sent out haven't reported any signs of an army."

"Even so, we need to leave as soon as possible, wounded or no."

"I've got Gamakichi relaying messages to the advance team," Naruto said. "They should be ready by midday." He crossed his arms over his chest broodingly. "If not for Hinata's warning…we would have been massacred. I should have found the mole sooner; it's been days since we found out about the leak."

"Hindsight is always clearer," Shikamaru said before taking a drag. "We had nothing to go on, short of questioning _everyone_."

"Maybe that's what we should have done," Tenzou mused.

"We don't treat our people like criminals," Naruto countered firmly. "Karin may not have been one of us exactly, but she helped us for over a year. Being a bitch isn't a reason to suspect someone of treachery." He sighed tiredly. "I can't imagine why she would do this."

"I think she's starting to come to," Sakura said suddenly.

Karin was definitely stirring, but it was several more minutes before she opened her eyes. First she tried to move, and when she realized she couldn't, she looked around in confusion. The shaft of sunlight was blinding her, and she squinted into the darkness. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Naruto stepped forward into the light. "Don't play games, Karin. Why did you do it?"

"Do what? What are you talking about?" She strained against her bonds. "Why the hell am I tied up? Let me out of these things, damn it!"

Kakashi had been standing silently in the shadows ever since they came in, but he suddenly moved forward and backhanded Karin across the face. She cried out in surprise, and everyone flinched at the sudden violence. "Stop fucking around," he said, voice low and menacing. "You'll start talking if you know what's good for you."

Karin breathed heavily, eyes wide behind glasses that had been knocked askew. Her lips trembled. "I don't know what you want from me! I haven't done anything!"

He hit her again.

Sakura took a step forward. "Kakashi what are you—"

His head turned sharply in her direction. "This isn't a game," he snapped. "People are dead and she's going to answer for it."

"I know that. But you don't need to—" She bit her words off. It was a bad idea to contradict a comrade in front of an enemy, but she couldn't help it. This was how interrogations went—she'd been part of enough to know—but usually violence was a last resort after questioning failed. She knew Raido was his longtime friend and that this was personal, but Kakashi was always the calm one, the one who never lashed out. She'd never seen him this way before.

"You don't have to stay." He glanced at the door.

Angry indignation flooded through her. Was he implying she was too soft to handle it? No one else was speaking up. She'd expected Naruto to agree with her, at least, but while he looked uncomfortable, he was resolutely silent. "I'm not going anywhere," she snapped back.

"Who's dead?" Karin's eyes welled with frightened tears. "I didn't kill anybody! What's going on!"

"Are you fucking serious?" Shikamaru stepped forward to Kakashi's side. "We're not playing this game with you. Tell the truth or it's going to get a lot worse for you."

She shrank back as much as she could. "I _am_ telling the truth! I don't know what's happening! I don't even know how I got here!"

Kakashi closed his hand around her jaw, making her grimace with pain. Sakura had only healed it enough to function, and it was still bruised and swollen. "When did Danzou turn you?" he demanded. "Or have you been his the whole time?"

"D-Danzou? You think I work for…you think I'm a _spy_?"

Naruto spoke up. "We _know_ you're a spy. What we don't understand is why. _Why_, Karin?"

"What have you told him?" Shikamaru asked her. "Did you tip him off about us being in Matsuoka Gai that day, when Kakashi and Sakura were ambushed? Did you tell Danzou where we were?" He stepped closer menacingly. "Did you tell him where we're going?"

"I didn't tell anyone anything! I don't even _know_ where we're going, you know that!" She looked pleadingly between the shadowy figures, and her gaze settled on Sakura. "Someone please tell me what happened!"

Naruto was fed up, and he stepped in front of everyone to get in her face. "What happened is you murdered three of our comrades in cold blood and then signaled Root to attack while our guard was down. You were _caught_ trying to escape. Now stop this charade and tell us _why_, goddamnit!"

Karin went pale, at last fully understanding the direness of her situation. In a shaking voice she said, "I swear on my life…I _don't know_."

Sakura stepped forward. "I don't think she's lying." They all turned to stare at her like she was crazy. She gave Naruto a pointed look. "I mean that she _believes_ what she says."

"Like she was under a genjutsu?" Naruto guessed.

She shook her head. "Her brain activity was too stable for a genjutsu, but hypnosis is a definite possibility. We know Danzou likes to program people. He does it to his agents and he tried to do it to Shizune and me. I said before that she was acting strange when we caught her. What if—"

The door suddenly burst open and Kiba barged in. "You backstabbing bitch!" he roared, and before anyone could stop him he set upon Karin and struck her hard enough to knock her glasses off and split her lip open. Sai followed him in, and he and Tenzou grabbed him and pulled him away from the dazed girl. "How could you do this!" he screamed. "I fucking trusted you! _I brought you here!_ I…" He jerked free and spun around in helpless rage. "_Fuck!"_

They all stood there stunned, unsure of what exactly was happening. Tenzou placed a hand on Kiba's chest and pushed him back further. "What the hell are you doing?"

He was too distraught to articulate, but Sai explained. "Apparently she drugged him and Akamaru so she could pretend to cover his watch. That was how she got to the sentries. Kiba was scheduled to relieve Raido. After I explained what happened I couldn't stop him."

"How did she manage to drug you _and_ Akamaru?" Shikamaru wanted to know. Kiba just stared at Karin, reddened eyes filled with fury and betrayal. And suddenly they understood.

"Get him out of here," Naruto ordered. "_Now_."

For a moment no one moved, shocked by the sudden dramatic turn. Then Tenzou grabbed his shoulder and, not ungently, pushed the devastated man backward and outside. A heavy silence fell, and no one seemed to know what to do next.

"I think we all need to take a minute," Naruto said, running a hand through his hair. "I'll go talk to Kiba."

"I'll stay and watch her," Sai offered.

"She's not going anywhere with those restraints," Shikamaru countered.

"No, but she might try to harm herself."

Karin had withdrawn into herself in shock, her wide eyes staring into space. She looked so frail and terrified that for a moment Sakura felt sorry for her. Then she reminded herself why she was sitting there in that chair and her sympathy all but vanished. She was aware that Kakashi was watching her, but she ignored him and went outside. She didn't want to talk to him right now, didn't even want to look at him. She walked around the back of the building and sagged tiredly against the wall. Her arm ached something fierce. She couldn't remember the last time she slept or ate, and she was weary to the bone.

Was Karin under some kind of outside influence, or was she really a willful traitor? She remembered when they first brought her back to Konoha, wounded and abandoned. The girl had turned on Sasuke and Madara for as little as a hot meal. Sakura hadn't thought much of it at the time, because she couldn't blame her after what had been done to her. But her actions since then? Why had she come with Kiba after the coup, when she could have gone anywhere? It was doubtful that Root would have chased her down like the Leaf fugitives, so it couldn't have been for protection—ostensibly she was in more danger here than she would be elsewhere. Had she come to them intentionally, to spy and sabotage? If so, why hadn't she done something sooner?

It occurred to her suddenly that she didn't know where Shiko had got to. The pup had been napping under a bush when she was at the triage. Sakura thought about going to look for her, but decided not to when she saw Naruto coming back. She walked to meet him, and asked, "How is Kiba?"

He shook his head. "He's a wreck. I left him with Hana; she'll make sure he doesn't do anything crazy. He blames himself, thinks he of all people should have seen the signs."

"What if there were no real signs? Like you said, a bad attitude isn't a reason to suspect someone, and _he_ obviously didn't think she was so bad…" She wrapped her arms around herself gingerly, careful not to strain her injury. "This is awful."

He gave her a long, thoughtful look. "You really think she was under some kind of spell and she really doesn't remember what she did?"

Sakura recalled the desperate way Karin had looked at her, silently pleading for help. "I think she's too scared to be pretending."

When everyone was back inside, Naruto spoke to Karin once again. "Think very carefully, and tell me everything you can remember before you woke up in here."

"I…I got in an argument," she began haltingly, "with Sakura and Shizune. In the medical hut."

Heads turned in Sakura's direction, and she confirmed Karin's words with a nod.

"When I left I was mad, so I went for a walk. I…I don't remember anything after that."

"What time was it when she left?" Naruto asked Sakura.

She thought about it. "Around eight, I think."

"Anything could have happened in that amount of time," Shikamaru muttered. "And you remember _nothing_ after that?" he asked Karin.

"Nothing," she insisted. "Just—I don't know." She shook her head. "It's all black."

"You're hiding something," Kakashi said sharply, picking up on a subtlety in her tone. "What is it?"

Karin didn't answer, but the look on her face said Kakashi was right. He took a step toward her, and she quailed. "I don't know," she repeated, starting to cry. "_I don't know!_ I never know!_"_

"What does that mean?"

"It—it happens sometimes. I get these…blank spots…in my memory."

"How often? How big are the blank spots?"

"I don't know. It changes. It's been happening more often lately…."

Shikamaru asked, "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Karin shook her head miserably. "I didn't think it was anything major…I didn't want people to think I was going crazy."

"Think hard," Kakashi ordered. "Did you see or hear anything before the last time you went blank?"

Karin did think hard, so hard she began to sweat and shake. "I—I don't…I can't…"

Sai said, "Something is blocking her."

"I…there was….whistle," she whimpered, head tossing from side to side. Sweat dripped down her temple. "I heard…the whistle…"

"I think I know what's going on," Sai said. He pushed Karin's head forward and moved her hair aside, exposing the back of her neck to the bright beam of light. His fingers combed over her scalp searchingly, and then stopped. "There. That's what I thought."

They all crowded around to see. There, at the base of Karin's skull, concealed by her long red hair, was a strange black tattoo. They all knew what they were looking at. A seal.

"It's not the same as the one you have, Sai," Naruto observed.

"What is it?" Karin asked worriedly. "Is something there?"

"Mine is meant to keep me from giving away Danzou's secrets," Sai said, ignoring Karin. "This one is attached to the auditory and motor complexes of the brain. It's a remote puppet jutsu."

"So she is being controlled," Shikamaru said. "A sleeper agent. I didn't think jutsu like that actually existed."

"It's forbidden," Kakashi replied. "Orochimaru used a similar technique…only he used it on corpses."

"The 'whistle' she mentioned must be the trigger," said Tenzou. "But is it a literal whistle, or some kind of ear-ringing that signifies the jutsu being activated?"

"More importantly," Naruto said, "how can we get answers if she doesn't remember doing anything?"

"You'd have to access the subconscious," Sakura answered.

Kakashi pulled off his eyepatch. "I can do that."

Karin's head snapped up and she thrashed against her bonds. "No!" she cried. "You keep that demon eye away from me!"

They all looked at each other, bewildered by her sudden freakout. "Why are you afraid of the Sharingan?" Naruto asked her. "Has someone used it to hurt you before? Madara? Or Sasuke?"

"It's irrelevant," Shikamaru said curtly. "This is the only way we're going to get answers. Do it, Kakashi."

Kakashi moved forward and lifted Karin's chin in one hand. "Look at me."

Karin squeezed her eyes shut. "No! I know what that thing does to people."

"We're only going to ask you questions," Naruto promised.

Kakashi forced her head back, his grip tightening on her chin. "Look at me, Karin." Again she refused. "We'll do it one way or the other. It will be easier if you don't fight."

It looked like they were going to have to force her eyelids open, but after several moments she finally relented and, trembling, looked up to meet Kakashi's gaze. A few seconds later her eyes lost focus and her expression went blank.

"She's under," Kakashi said, continuing to maintain eye contact.

Shikamaru stepped forward. "Karin. How did you come to have that seal placed on you?"

"A white room…" Her voice was a flat monotone. "Danzou was there…"

Standing next to Naruto, Sakura murmured, "He must have gotten to her while she was under house arrest."

Karin continued on her own. "He said I was going back to Sasuke. I would get revenge for him…and for me."

"So he wanted you to rejoin Sasuke and then assassinate him," Shikamaru clarified.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you?"

"…The battle. In Konoha. I ran away from the fighting."

"Did Danzou order you to join our resistance?"

"No."

"Then how did you end up with us?"

"I ran into Kiba…I didn't know where else to go. I didn't want to be alone."

He studied her silently for a moment, then asked, "When did you begin to sabotage our efforts?"

"Matsuoka Gai."

"How did you do it?"

"I walked into the woods, outside of the perimeter. There was a man waiting. I talked to him."

"What did you say?"

"Four people had gone to Matsuoka Gai and they would be easy to ambush. One was the Copy Ninja."

"You killed our captive before we could question him, didn't you?"

"Yes. When we were alone I forced a cyanide capsule down his throat."

"Have you been giving away our position all this time?"

"No. I had no way to."

"Then how do they keep finding us?"

"The Fang nins…they have animal trackers. Birds…"

His eyes narrowed. "But they only knew where to start looking because of you."

"I guess that's true. Yes."

"Have you told anyone where we're going?"

"I don't know where we're going."

He gave her a long, hard look. "Did you kill the sentries and signal the waiting Root agents to attack?"

"Yes."

A grim silence fell. Finally Shikamaru stepped back and sighed heavily. "Well, there it is."

Kakashi released his hold on Karin and she slumped in the chair, asleep. He turned to Naruto and said, "What do you want to do?"

Naruto shook his head bleakly. "What _can_ we do? She's guilty, but at the same time…not."

"You know what the rest of the camp is going to want. Those who know the truth are already calling for blood."

Naruto's internal struggle as he wavered over the idea was plain on his face. "No," he said finally. "We can't execute her, not when she isn't responsible for her own actions." He looked at Sai. "Is there a way to break the jutsu controlling her?"

"Not that I know of. Even if there was, she can't stay here. It's too much of a risk. For her as well; I doubt she'd live through the night."

They all knew it was true. Even if Naruto forgave her, someone would find a covert way to take vengeance.

Sakura felt a heavy, sick feeling inside. She hated Karin more than ever and she didn't want her to go unpunished, but at the same time she couldn't help but pity her. The girl had been used as a pawn and tossed around by selfish, powerful men for years, and who knew what else she'd endured in her life. The injustice of it made her angry, but no matter how rational she tried to be about it, the truth was she wanted Karin gone for good. Maybe not dead, but…

An idea suddenly came to her. "There's no way to break the jutsu," she began, "but there must be a range on it. If she moves too far away it can't control her."

"If that's true then it could account for how Danzou knew we weren't far from Konoha," Shikamaru mused. "Maybe he didn't know she was with us in the beginning, or maybe he simply forgot about her and his plan to use her against Sasuke until recently. Whatever the case, sending her far enough away that she can never find us again might be the best solution."

"That's what we'll do then," Naruto decided. "Sai, take one of your ink birds and fly until sunset – I don't care which direction – and leave her in whatever town you end up at. Give her a day's food and a kunai, and make sure she doesn't see which way you leave. Tenzou you go with him."

They left Karin bound as they loaded her onto the back of Sai's flyer. Naruto handed him a teleportation scroll. "I'll leave a destination marker at the jump site. We'll see you there."

All the jostling had woken Karin up, but she didn't ask where she was being taken or what was going to happen to her. She turned as best she could toward Naruto, and in a small, defeated voice asked, "Did I really do those things?"

Naruto looked at her solemnly, the answer in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. Tell Kiba…" She cut off, and turned her face away in shame.

Sakura didn't think she'd seen anyone look so miserable in her life. Again, she couldn't help but feel bad for Karin. '_I didn't want to be alone_,' she had said. Now that was exactly what they were making her face, and in a strange land.

"What happen to red lady" Shiko asked. The pup had bounded up to her the moment she'd stepped out of the building, and was currently standing at her side.

"She's being taken away, so she can't hurt us anymore."

"She is bad?"

Sakura watched Karin for a long, thoughtful moment. "That's a good question," she answered quietly. "I guess we'll never really know."

There were many who disagreed with Naruto's decision, and they swarmed around the little building as Sai and Tenzou prepared to leave with the prisoner. Raido's teammates were at the front of the crowd.

"What are you doing?" Shizune demanded shrilly. Genma had to physically hold her back, though he was clearly reluctant about doing so. "That bitch has to pay for what she did!"

"She _is_ paying," Naruto replied tiredly. Almost to himself he added, "She has to live with it."

An angry thrum went through the gathered shinobi. Someone yelled "Justice! Execute her!" Others took up the cry.

Naruto held his hands up. "There are things you don't understand. I'll explain everything later, but right now we need to leave this place before a larger force than the one last night shows up to finish us off. Everyone pack up and break camp – we're jumping in a couple hours." Mutters of indignation and outrage swept through the crowd, and they didn't disperse. Naruto frowned, dropped his hands to his sides and raised his voice in a way that allowed no argument. "_Move!_"

Their leader almost never forcefully exerted his authority, and they jumped to action quickly once he did. Sai's bird lifted into the air and hovered for a moment before flapping away.

Sakura stood beside Naruto and watched it grow smaller until the sun was too much for her eyes. Were they doing the right thing? It was a question that would probably never be answered. But sometimes, you didn't get the option of a _right_ choice. Sometimes all you had was the _only_ choice. Karin couldn't stay.

As her gaze lowered it met Kakashi's. She couldn't think of anything to say to him. She could barely reconcile her own conflicted feelings about all of this…she was in no position to question him.

Wearily, she walked away and went to pack up the medical supplies and then gathered her own gear. Most people had cleared out by now, but Tenten was at their shared tent and they talked briefly as they broke it down. But the weapons master mostly wanted to know about Karin, and Sakura wasn't at liberty to discuss it. When Tenten left to meet up with Lee, Sakura sat on the cleared ground where the tent had been and put her back to the nearest tree. Shiko crawled into her lap and rested her head on her knee, and Sakura closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through her soft fur.

She woke up an unknown time later at the sound of someone approaching. At first she thought it was Kakashi, but it turned out to be Naruto. She lifted Shiko from her lap and stood, brushing herself off.

"I've been looking for you," he said. He reached down to Shiko and held a hand out for inspection. The pup was wary of the male, and gave his fingers a tentative sniff before moving away behind Sakura.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "I guess I fell asleep."

"I'm jealous." He gave a thin, slightly forced smile. "There's gonna be a small ceremony before the jump. I'm gonna say a few words."

Sakura nodded, not knowing how else to respond. She could see he wanted to say more.

"I used to watch Tsunade-baa do the funeral services back home, and the Sandaime before her. I used to think, '_that's going to be the hardest part of being Hokage'_…honoring those who died in service to Konoha. You know, saying the right words." He fell quiet for a moment, and when met her eyes he seemed very young and unsure. "It's really starting now, isn't it? This war. I don't know how I'm going to do this…"

"I don't think any leader ever really does." She put a hand on his arm reassuringly. "You'll do them justice." He gave her a grateful smile, which she returned.

"Come on," he said. "Everyone's waiting." He held out his arm, and she took it and fell into step beside him.

* * *

TBC


	14. The Fire Temple

Quite a few people have asked questions about Shiko, what breed she is, etc. If you want to see what she looks like, go to Youtube and search for "Shikoku ken." Yes, I was terribly clever with the naming. XD

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Fourteen: The Fire Temple

* * *

Just after noon, the battered and somber rebel army jumped to a region in the far south of Fire country that many of them had never been to before. Subtropical old growth surrounded them for miles in every direction: trees a dozen feet thick and ferns taller than a man. The cacophonous sounds of vibrant wildlife trilled and pulsed around them, and the moist hazy air hung thick and hot.

Without much conversation the advance party merged with the main body and began to move through the dense undergrowth. The path they followed was faint and mostly overgrown, obviously not used often, so those who had swords used them to clear the way. After only a few minutes the trees thinned and they came to the edge of a cliff. Below them was a vast forest nestled within a deep glacial valley surrounded by limestone cliffs and jagged buttes. A steep, rocky path cut down the side of the crag. After taking a moment to appreciate the view and brace themselves for what was sure to be a difficult journey, the Leaf rebels began the trek down into the valley.

The going was slow. Some were injured, all were physically and mentally fatigued, and the path was so precariously narrow and unsteady that even a ninja found it tricky to negotiate. Water runoffs fell over the side of the cliff in narrow waterfalls that cut right across the trail, making the rock slick and dangerous. It took almost two hours for those in front to reach the bottom, where they stopped and waited for the rest to catch up before moving on.

Sakura healed her shoulder wound as they hiked, and did as much as she could while mobile for the other injured as well. Now she walked at Naruto's side as she had the entire way, and though Kakashi was always nearby, she didn't speak to him. Nor did he attempt to speak to her.

The forest wasn't as intimidating as it had seemed from above. Plenty of light breached the vine-woven canopy, the humidity was heavy but tolerable, and the path became wider and clearer as they neared the heart of the forest. In the distance the light was brighter, indicating a large cleared area somewhere up ahead. The air was thinning as well; the temperature dropped a few welcome degrees without the insulation of the trees. When they saw the first embedded stones of paving and carved guardian statues along the roadside, they knew they were close.

A half hour before sunset, sweating and exhausted, they finally reached their destination. The Konoha rebels stopped and simply stared in awe.

The Fire Temple. The spiritual center of their country.

It was unlike anything they had ever seen. Most temples were built of wood and tile, but this one was built of stone. It was truly ancient; erected centuries ago in a time before the nations drew lines on a map and gave themselves names—the Fire country was actually named after the temple from which its spiritual beliefs originated. The temple complex was secured by a thick perimeter wall of heavy stone reinforced with iron, but what could be seen beyond was imposing and magnificent.

Directly ahead were massive bronze gates, on either side of which were two towering statues of winged tengu—mythical protectors of the forest who were said to have taught the art of ninjutsu to the Sage of the Six Paths long ago. The statues were said to be tied to a seal that could only be activated with a special type of chakra, possessed only by an elite group of monks. It was supposed to make the temple impenetrable…but five years ago there had been one devastating exception.

The gates were open now with the anticipation of their arrival, and three monks stood just beyond, waiting to meet them. As one, they pressed their hands together in blessing and bowed.

"You are all welcome to the Fire Temple," said the monk in the middle. He was smaller than the other two, and very old, but he had the compact build of someone who'd once been a warrior and was formidable still. "I am Ichirai Shingen, the Abbot of this temple."

They all bowed deeply in respect. "Thank you for letting us stay here," Naruto said. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

The old man smiled and beckoned. "Your reputation precedes you. Come here, child."

Uncertainly, Naruto went forward and stood motionless as the old monk put his hands on his shoulders and studied him. Only when his rheumy eyes failed to focus on Naruto's face did it become clear that he was blind.

"You have the aura of the Sage about you," the Abbot said knowingly.

Naruto nodded, but quickly realized his error and said, "Yes, sir. The sannin Jiraiya was my teacher."

"A true rapscallion, that kid. I hope he didn't teach you _all_ of his ways."

Naruto didn't know how to respond. "Um…"

Ichirai Shingen chuckled and patted him on the arm. "Come." His empty gaze swept over the crowd of silent shinobi. "Please feel at home here, for we are all brothers and sisters in spirit." He turned back to Naruto and indicated the man on his left. "This is Brother Sentoki, he will show you around and help you settle in." He made a small discreet gesture, and the other monk next to him took his elbow to guide him back along the path.

Sentoki was a serious young man with a long scar across the right side of his shaved head. He bowed briefly and said, "Everything has been made ready for you. Please follow me."

The temple complex was even bigger than it looked from the outside. The main prayer hall was especially imposing, for it was multi-tiered and larger than the Hokage Tower, with ornate carvings covering the support pillars, and intricate bas-relief depicting mythological scenes along the stone walls. Inside it was dimly lit and the close air smelled thickly of incense. A few monks, robed in red and white, sat chanting quiet prayers before a bronze statue that was so large much of it was hidden in the shadows that obscured the ceiling. Though there were nearly two hundred of them, the Leaf shinobi passed silently through the hall, careful not to disturb the serenity.

Night was starting to fall, and as the crickets began to play their nightly song, the novices—distinguished by the lack of red on their robes— lit lanterns and lamps placed in recessed alcoves all over the grounds, evoking an otherworldly ambiance of flickering flames and contrasting shadow. Sentoki led them beneath a weathered stone archway that was actually built _beneath_ a tree: roots trailed like vines down the walls and had been carefully manipulated to not obstruct the doorway. In fact the entire temple appeared to be semi-melded into the forest itself. Vines and roots seemed to fall and protrude where they willed, and vibrant green moss stained almost every block of stone. Yet for all the overgrowth there were no obvious signs of neglect or disrepair. The wildness was intentional. The Fire Temple didn't combat nature, it embraced it.

They passed through a large courtyard lined with tall statues of warriors in various fighting stances that the Leaf shinobi recognized as very similar to their own form of taijutsu. The other side of the courtyard was flat and open; a perfect area for training. A little further on the air grew hotter and wetter, and they heard the sound of running water. They went through another overgrown passageway and came upon an open clearing of cascading hot springs, each steaming pool of opaque green water spilling over into the next.

"In the time of this temple's founding there were magma tunnels running deep beneath this spring," their guide informed. "In those days this water boiled hot enough to cook a man. The tunnels have long since gone dry, but some of the heat still remains within the earth. Now the waters are cool enough to enter. Further down the way are cold springs." He pointed. "Feel free to use them; they are quite enjoyable. Some even believe immersing first in the hot then in the cold can slow the aging process."

Sentoki provided further details as they passed the lecture hall, the belfry and the cemetery, the bathhouse, and the exquisite gardens. Due to its remote location the temple was mostly self-sustained: the monks grew their own fruits and vegetables, supplemented by rice and occasional livestock from the village to the south at the mouth of the valley. Their water was channeled in from the nearby river, and they used a rotary belt system to convert it into electricity.

"Some of these buildings look so ancient…and others look almost new," Sakura remarked as they entered a part of the complex constructed of clean, fresh cut stone and even wood.

"The temple was badly damaged in the Akatsuki attack," Sentoki explained. "Much of it was destroyed, and many of our brothers were killed; I am one of the few survivors, and only because I was away. The monks here now came from other temples to help with reconstruction, including Master Shingen, who took over after Master Chiriku was killed."

Shikamaru scowled, and began fiddling with his pocket like he wanted a cigarette but wasn't sure if it was allowed. Hidan and Kakuzu had come here for the bounty on Chiriku, who'd been one of the Twelve Guardians of the Daimyo—quite notorious in their day, and the bounties on them from other nations were high. The two Akatsuki nearly destroyed the temple and killed most of the monks in the process, and then they went after the next former Guardian on their list – Sarutobi Asuma.

If Sentoki was aware of the sudden mood shift in the group at the mention of Akatsuki, he didn't let on. "The kitchen and dining hall is over there." He pointed to a plain low-roofed building behind the lecture hall. "We monks don't eat past midday, so you will have to cook evening meals for yourselves. We assumed you would be tired and hungry after your long journey, so we've prepared a supper for you tonight, simple as it is. But in general, you won't see us much at all after sunset."

"Thank you," said Naruto. "We'll look after ourselves after tonight. We won't be a burden. We're just grateful for the refuge."

Sentoki smiled graciously. "And we're glad to give it. The Senju clan and the shinobi of the Leaf have always been friends to us. Our Master, Shingen, was a comrade of your second Hokage."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "He's _that_ old!" He quickly apologized when Sakura discreetly elbowed him. "Sorry. I mean…"

"It's alright. The Master _is_ late in his years, and he knows it will soon be time to move on from this world. He has already chosen his successor."

"You?" Naruto guessed.

He smiled again. "No…I have neither the wisdom nor the power for such a calling. The next Master has been called from another temple. He's due to arrive any day. He is a great man."

They came to a stop in an area filled with rectangular two-story structures, with the stairs and corridor on the outside like apartment buildings. "Here are the dormitories," Sentoki said. "The last five buildings on this side are for you. They are furnished, but I apologize if they're a bit dusty; they haven't been used since the attack."

"We'll clean them up," Naruto said. "Thank you again."

Sentoki bowed and left them, and the Leaf ninja set about claiming rooms. There were ten dormitories in all with fifty rooms apiece, proving this temple had once been much more active than it was today. The rooms were simple and plain: a wooden pallet with a thick futon on one side of the floor, a writing table and small chest of drawers on the other. Each room had a single square window high on the wall that was meant to let in light, not to look through.

Naruto wanted all of his key personnel in the same vicinity so he could reach them easily when he needed them, so Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, Hanabi, Shizune and Genma, and the three ANBU commanders all took rooms at the southern end of the first building. They also set aside rooms for Sai and Tenzou.

After settling in they all trickled over to the dining hall for some food. It was simple fare, but they gratefully devoured every last grain of rice. As usual, Naruto wolfed his down before anyone else. He stood while simultaneously slurping down the last of his miso soup, then rubbed his belly. "Aaahh! Hey do you think these monks know how to make ramen?"

Sakura had to smile. "If they don't I bet you could teach them."

"I probably could." He grinned, and collected his dishes. "I'm going to the springs. I want to contact Hinata and let her know we're alright."

Sakura was left at the table with Shikamaru, who was in no mood to talk to anyone. Kakashi had managed to slip away unnoticed some time ago. She'd avoided him since yesterday because she didn't know how to feel or what to say. Now it seemed he was keeping his distance from her as well. Was he angry with her for questioning him in front of the enemy, or for recoiling from him afterward? She was surprised by his vehemence because he was always so calm and rational. She'd seen him be fierce, but never enraged. There was a good reason for it, though, and she had to let him know she understood.

#

The forest was alive with nocturnal activity, but the temple complex was noticeably muted by contrast. Dark, heavy, and silent—an ancient sanctuary full of secrets and memory. Sakura hardly saw a soul as she made her way back to the billets. She decided to look for Kakashi in his room first, and was glad to find him there. She knocked lightly on the wooden panel, and went inside at his quiet invitation.

"Hi," she said, not sure how else to begin. Kakashi just looked at her in that unreadable way. The closed room was uncomfortably muggy; she could feel the air clinging to her skin, making her clothes stick. "Are you mad at me?"

His eyebrow rose. "Isn't that my line?"

"I'm not mad."

"Neither am I," he said with a mild shrug.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

"Again, shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?"

Sakura sighed. He wasn't going to give an inch, was he? He'd stripped down to his undershirt and pants, and in the dim light of the lantern she could see the faint sheen of perspiration on his muscled bare arms. Her irritation didn't keep her from admiring the view. "I came here to talk to you, but you're being like _this_…so you must be mad."

"I'm not angry with you, Sakura." He turned back to what he'd been doing before she came in: putting what few clothes he had in the chest of drawers.

Sakura frowned at his back. This was not how she'd expected things to go. He could be so infuriating when he was like this. "Don't lie to me, Kakashi. I know when something's wrong. I'm not a child."

He gave a curt, ironic laugh. "Oh, I'm well aware of that."

She continued to glare at him until he stopped and faced her again. Angry tension stretched between them, but she could see in his eyes that he didn't want it any more than she did. "Look," she said wearily. "I came to apologize. I know what you did was necessary. I just…" She trailed off, not knowing how to finish that thought.

"No, you were right to criticize me. I know I used excessive force." He shook his head, his dark expression turning inward. "Karin killed Raido, and she was to blame for everyone who died last night. The information she leaked to our enemies was why we had to abandon our base in the north, and she was the indirect cause behind all of the ambushes and poisonings." He looked at her intently. "She was the reason you almost died."

"Kakashi…" Was that the real reason behind his rage? She never imagined it was because of her. She went to him, pressed herself against him, and rose on her toes to press a soft kiss against his covered mouth. She felt his lips respond under hers, but it wasn't enough. The mask needed to go. She trailed her fingertips over his face and began to slide the fabric down.

Kakashi's hands closed gently around her wrists, stopping her. He straightened up, distancing her with his greater height. "Sakura…."

She stared up at him, confused. "What's wrong?"

"_This_." He slowly released her hands. "We shouldn't be doing this. Not right now."

Sakura was speechless for a moment. "…What? What do you mean 'not right now'?"

"Today I had a lot of time to think. To clear my head." He looked at her steadily. "We're in the middle of a war. It's not the time or place for selfish indulgences."

She shook her head, took a step to close the gap between them again. "You're wrong. Living in such dangerous times is all the more reason to go for what we want. To not deny ourselves what makes us happy." She reached for him.

Once again he stopped her, this time by stepping away. "I almost got you killed last week, Sakura. And last night a battle broke out while we were off fooling around."

"That's not exactly how it happened..."

"Close enough. What if the attack had come through where we were? We were both unarmed."

"That doesn't make either one of us any less dangerous."

"You're missing the point."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No, Kakashi, I get your point."

"I don't think you really do. These kinds of oversights can and do get people killed. You're young enough—_lucky_ enough—to have never seen a war until now."

Sakura glared at him. "Are you really implying that I'm too naïve and inexperienced to know anything about violence and death and loss? After all the shit we've been through?"

"That's not what I'm saying" he replied calmly. "But you know last night was only the beginning. It's going to get a lot worse from here. Any distractions could be disastrous, or fatal."

His gaze softened, and for a moment it looked like he would reach out and touch her. She desperately wanted him to. But he didn't.

He only said, "I don't want to be responsible for any more harm coming to you."

Sakura stared at him, stuck in that middle place between disbelief and anger. "Oh, so I'm just a distraction, huh?" Her voice was surprisingly much calmer than what she felt inside. "I see. Thank you for clarifying that."

She turned on her heel and stormed out, and Kakashi made no effort to stop her. Only an awareness of her surroundings and keen-eared neighbors kept her from slamming the panel shut.

Outside, she leaned against the corridor wall and took a deep, shuddering breath, dismally aware that she was going to cry. After a moment of angry bewilderment, she pushed away from the wall and hurried to her room before anyone saw her.

* * *

No matter how upset she was, Sakura fell into bed and slept heavily through the night. She was simply too exhausted to do anything else. She woke to the clang of a bell ringing across the temple complex, got up and dressed listlessly, and went to have breakfast.

Only it was lunchtime. She'd slept until noon. And might have slept longer if not for the bell.

_You have to stop doing this_, she told herself. Pushing herself to the limit and then taking days to fully recover was not an efficient or responsible way of doing her duty. From now on, she vowed as she made her way to the dining hall, she would pace herself.

Standing in line waiting for her portion of rice and veggies, she was hit with a feeling of nostalgia about her time at the northern temple: waking at dawn, bland rations, endless hours of hard work, and the feeling of inner peace and spiritual harmony that came from living a simple life. She wondered if Shizune felt it too, or if she was too grief-stricken to think about anything else. She hadn't seen her since arriving yesterday evening; Shizune had isolated herself in her grief, seeking only the comfort of her two remaining teammates. Sakura hadn't been able to do more than offer a few words of condolence to her friend and she wished she could do more to console her, but Genma and Aoba were who she really needed right now.

There were only a few shinobi in the dining hall, and she didn't really know any of them. She spotted Sentoki, who nodded to her, and she made her way to the only monk she'd met so far.

"Good afternoon," he greeted amiably. "Please, join us?"

She did, taking the seat at the end of the table when the monk sitting there scooted down. "Hello," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"I apologize," Sentoki said, "but I've not yet learned your name…"

The monks around the table were all looking at her with polite curiosity. "Haruno Sakura," she told them.

"Sakura. A lovely name for a lovely young lady," said a monk with round red cheeks and an even rounder belly. "I'm Benkei."

"From what I've seen so far," said one of the others, "you shinobi aren't fond of early mornings."

"Not when we can help it," she said. "Most of our work is suited for a more nocturnal timeframe." They all laughed at that.

Sakura had heard that other monastic orders in other lands took vows of pacifism. But the temples of Fire country were home to warrior monks, many of whom were formidable even to shinobi. Some of them _were_ shinobi once; veterans with no families often joined the order when they grew too old to remain on active status. Other monks possessed chakra and channeled their power in the same way as a ninja, but had never learned traditional jutsu. Some monks, those of master level, knew sacred jutsu that shinobi could never hope to learn. The monks and ninja of Fire country shared a long history—the clans had existed autonomously long before the current government arose—and they followed the same spiritual philosophy: the Will of Fire. As Master Shingen had said, they really were brothers and sisters in spirit.

Sakura stayed with the monks until they left to perform their scheduled duties. She found it impossible to remain agitated around such calm and tranquil people, and talking to them had cheered her up a little.

With nothing to do but kill time she made a trip to the bathhouse and then wandered aimlessly around the temple, admiring the peaceful, ancient beauty of the place. Most of the Leaf ninja were lounging around or similarly exploring, and she paused and exchanged a few words with people she knew, but she wasn't really in the mood to socialize.

She discovered a distillery at the back of the complex and learned that the monks brewed their own alcohol from fermented melons and sold it around Fire country. Harvest time was in a few weeks, and the vines were heavy with fruit. She asked for a tour and they even gave her a sample as well as a large slice of fresh melon. After that she went to watch the monks performing kata drills in the training yard. Benkei might be on the pudgy side, but he was an ox. Sakura watched him lift two of his opponents over his head with brute strength alone.

Midway through one set, a small commotion rippled through the group. Nothing really obvious, but their discipline and synchronization wavered for a moment as the monks' attention was diverted. Sakura followed their glances and saw a single monk approaching the training grounds. The collective reaction told her he was someone of importance. He was dressed for traveling, was of medium height and build with dark olive skin, and he had a longspear strapped to his back.

Sakura gave a soft gasp of recognition. "Master Inei…"

Hozo Inei saw her as well, and gave her a smile and a nod before going to speak with the taijustu instructor. She waited impatiently for them to finish, and when Inei finally turned in her direction, Sakura hurried over to meet her former teacher.

"Master Inei," she said, bowing before him. "It's so good to see you again."

He bowed in return. "And you as well, Sakura." He indicated the path and said, "Walk with me." They strolled slowly toward the gardens. "I had hoped to find you among the Leaf rebels when I learned of the situation here," he said. "I'm glad to see you reunited with your friends and comrades. Is Shizune here as well?"

"Yes…but I haven't seen her since we arrived yesterday."

He noticed how her smile dimmed. "She is not well?"

"No," Sakura said sadly, and told him what happened.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said somberly. "And after being reunited with her teammates after so long…"

"I know she'll be glad to see you, Master. It might even cheer her up a little."

"I will do what I can," he promised.

Sakura glanced up at him as they walked. He was young for someone of his high status, not yet forty. His onyx eyes were sharp and penetrating as ever, and he still moved with the powerful grace of a big cat. "What brings you here?" she asked, already having an idea. "Are you the Abbot's successor?"

Hozo Inei smiled and nodded. "I have been chosen to receive that honor."

"Congratulations," she beamed.

"Thank you. I must meet with the Abbot now, but I look forward to talking with you more, Sakura. You and Shizune both. And of course I expect to find out how well you've retained what I taught you."

His smile warned her of what she was in for, but she just smiled back and replied, "I look forward to it."

He took his leave, and after that, Sakura didn't really know what to do with herself. It seemed she truly had the day off. It was around four in the afternoon and no one had come looking for her all day, not even Naruto. And not Kakashi.

Sighing, she sat in the grass and folded her legs beneath her. The temple gardens were truly gorgeous, filled with hundreds of brightly colored flowers of every size and shape, planted in a seemingly random pattern to mimic nature as closely as possible. She recognized many of them from the flower-arranging classes she'd been required to take in the Academy. The sun was low in the sky, the afternoon golden and hot. The surrounding forest was alive with noise and butterflies floated all around, feasting on nectar. Ino would have loved this place.

She thought of summoning Shiko, but decided not to. She'd sent the pup back to her world just before the jump yesterday, as every moment spent in the human world drained a little bit of the ninken's chakra, and because she was so young she didn't have much. She'd been through a lot in her first day as a ninja companion, and she deserved the rest. Besides, she would probably go into a hyperactive frenzy with all the new sounds and smells to investigate.

Letting her hands relax on her knees, she inhaled deeply through her nose, enjoying the heavy fragrance of flowers as she did, and exhaled slowly through her mouth. Her body went still, muscles relaxing as tension drained from her limbs. She let her mind go blank until the only thing in her awareness was the sound of her even breathing and the forest life buzzing around her.

An image of Kakashi suddenly flashed through her mind, the detached look on his masked face as he withdrew from her touch, his coldly practical words: '_we shouldn't be doing this….it's not the time or place for selfish indulgences…_'

Sakura opened her eyes and sighed heavily. It was no use. She should have known better. She'd avoided thinking about it all day, but as soon as she tried to clear her mind, there it was.

She still didn't quite know what to make of last night. It seemed to have come out of nowhere. She'd spent half a day not speaking to him and suddenly they shouldn't be together? He'd had time to think and clear his head, he'd said. Whatever that meant. It wasn't like him to second-guess himself, but something had definitely made him do so. The one thing that was clear: Kakashi had meant what he said. He didn't want to be with her.

It was exactly what she'd been afraid would happen.

The funny thing was, he'd thrown many of her own initial reasons back at her. They were at war, it was bad timing…. So why did it upset her so much to hear them now? This could never have happened between them before. Even if they'd acknowledged the feelings germinating beneath the surface of their friendship before Konoha fell, it wouldn't have worked. People just didn't hook up with their superiors. Or if they did it was never spoken of, and it never lasted.

Time, distance, and the upheaval of life and social order as they knew it had been the recipe that allowed them to come together. Maybe it wasn't supposed to happen, yet it still didn't feel like a mistake. Sakura had made her share of emotional bungles in her life, but her feelings for Kakashi were real.

What if his weren't? What if Kakashi really didn't want her?

She didn't know what to do. She could try to change his mind, but it was likely to be a battle she couldn't win. It might only drive him further away. Maybe her initial hesitance about getting involved with him had been correct. Maybe it was best to let it go now, before she dragged what was left of their relationship through the mud.

But the idea of ending it hurt like hell. And the thought of losing her friendship and with Kakashi because of this…it hurt even more.

* * *

"More wine?"

The old man's watery eyes flicked up to her face briefly before falling to her chest, where they remained as he held up his glass. Nagano was his name, and he was a member of the senior council. She only knew because she'd been required to learn who everyone was as part of her duties tonight.

Hinata poured carefully, quelling the sudden impulse to smash the carafe over his spotty, balding head. Maybe her other kunoichi friends were rubbing off on her.

Maybe she was just fed up.

With a pasted-on smile and lowered eyes, she made her way around the long, low table refilling drinks. It took a while, as she had to kneel at every stop, and while her dress wasn't as movement restrictive as a kimono, it was still rather snug and had the added downside of revealing most of her upper thigh every time she knelt down.

As she moved she stole furtive glances around the room, silently acknowledging the other members of the resistance here tonight. They were civilians, a pretty blonde mother and daughter whose shinobi husband/father had been killed during the coup. Hinata didn't know them; they were brought in especially for this occasion. She had tried to get Moegi in as a hostess as well, so she wouldn't feel so alone, but she was told by the event planner that her friend's pronounced freckles and bushy red hair made her "aesthetically undesirable."

They would all get what was coming to them. Their '_just desserts_' as Inoichi had said. They'd been getting it for the past three hours.

The liquor being served tonight was not sake, but a sweet grape wine brought as a gift from Kumamozu by way of the Claw country daimyo, who was bending over backwards to secure an alliance with Fire. However, late last night a few mysterious figures had snuck into the cellars and tampered with the casks, and the sweet red luxury the council and their guests indulged in tonight was also filling them with a slow acting poison.

There was only one flaw in their plan: Danzou wasn't drinking it. He was too paranoid, and drank only from his own private stock. Hinata couldn't help feeling some small relief that her father abstained from alcohol, so he wasn't drinking the wine either. Danzou and Hiashi would survive tonight, but it was an acceptable setback. The rest of the council and the alliance leaders would be eliminated, and in a few days' time when the cause became clear, the finger would point to the Claw daimyo. The secret alliance would collapse, leaving Danzou and Root friendless and alone against the rebel army.

Hinata returned to the corner and sat with the carafe beside her, waiting for the next call for more drink. The multi-course dinner was over, and now the forty guests sat around watching hired dancing girls perform, telling each other crude jokes, and literally drinking themselves to death.

Fleetingly, Hinata wondered what had happened to her that she could sit here knowing what was about to happen to these men and feel no remorse. But she already knew the answer. Danzou had happened to her. Root had happened. Her village had been stolen by a war criminal and brought to ruin. She'd seen her friends killed or driven away to be hunted like animals, while she herself had practically become an indentured servant.

She could not feel pity or mercy for the ones responsible.

For the sake of her sanity and composure it was better to tune them out, while still remotely listening for any key words that struck her as important. Bored and irritated, she let her mind wander, and almost immediately thought of Naruto.

She'd nearly cried with relief when he contacted her last week and assured her the rebels were safely at the Fire Temple. They talked for over two hours, just happy to connect – on her part at least. She hoped on his as well. She'd been genuinely shocked to learn about Karin; Danzou had revealed nothing of his plans to use her. Hinata had only seen the foreign girl once and had never spoken to her, but knowing what it was like to be used by Danzou, she felt sorry for what had happened to her and hoped she would have a better life now, wherever she was.

After talking with Naruto she'd told the others in the resistance what she'd learned. That same day they revealed to her the details of their plan for the banquet, and her role in that plan. When she'd seen what she was expected to wear she didn't know if she'd be able to go through with it. The following week could not pass slowly enough.

The banquet had a formal dress code, and the 'hostesses' were all outfitted in embroidered satin cheongsams with a wide teardrop cutout across the bust and a skirt slit up to the thigh. Hinata's was silvery-blue, and someone from the branch house had done her hair in an elaborate series of buns and twists. She felt quite pretty, to be honest, but these were not the kind of people she wanted to look pretty for. She wanted to be unattractive and invisible. When she was younger she'd heard other girls her age talking about her in envy, but she would have gladly traded bra sizes with any of them. She still didn't like the extra attention garnered by her curvy figure, and for many years she'd made sure to hide it behind bulky jackets. She'd been gradually moving away from that—coming out of her shell, so to speak—until she was forced to become Danzou's aide. The thought of him and his associates ogling her made her skin crawl.

Tonight she'd had to endure a lifetime of lecherous stares, and a few even went as far as to touch her. One foreign dignitary had not-so-subtly brushed his elbow across her breast when she'd leaned in to light his pipe, and she'd had to restrain herself from setting his long thin mustachios on fire. If her father noticed any of this he hadn't said a word.

Danzou beckoned to her. Hinata tried not to grimace at the ache in her knees as she rose and made her way over to him. The strong aroma of expensive sake floating around him was particularly noticeable in contrast to the sweet-and-sour smell of wine on everyone else. Holding her breath and lowering her eyes as she knelt, Hinata murmured, "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

He was mildly inebriated, though he would never allow his guard to slip completely. His tone was disdainful as always. "Do you know where Commander Morioka's quarters are?"

Hinata's stomach tightened into a knot at the mention of the Moss leader, and her eyes rose briefly in apprehension. "Yes…"

"Good. Go there and wait."

Cold dread shot through her, and in her sudden alarm she blurted, "F-for what?"

"For whatever he wishes to do with you. He and I have an arrangement."

She shook her head without thinking. No. Not this. Not _that man_. "H-hokage-sama…I can't—"

A single black eye roved over her, bloodshot and cold. "Are you refusing an order, Hyuuga?"

Hinata swallowed thickly. "…No. Hokage-sama."

"Then go."

It took everything she had to stand on her watery legs. She turned away, knowing that Morioka was watching her from across the room with that predatory—anticipating—stare. Her leaden feet carried her slowly toward the doors, but at the last moment she diverted and knelt beside Hiashi.

"Father, can I speak with you for a moment? Please?"

He was about to rebuke her for bothering him at such a time, but when he frowned up at her, he saw her ashen face and pleading eyes, and nodded. They walked past two Root guards into the hallway just outside the banquet hall. He turned to her. "What is it?"

Hinata could barely get the words out. "D-dan…the Hokage…told me to go…to Morioka's rooms. He wants me to…give myself to him."

Hyuuga Hiashi regarded his daughter silently for a long, uncomfortable moment. A tiny frown knitted his brow as she stared at him, silently begging him to do something. Finally, he said, "Then you must do so."

Hinata exhaled sharply in total surprise. "Did you hear what I said? He wants me to—"

"I heard you perfectly, Hinata," he said sharply. "It is not ideal…but we must all make sacrifices—"

"_Sacrifices!_" Incredulous anger overruled her fear. "I'm your _daughter_! I won't do it!"

He grabbed her shoulders firmly and pressed her against the ornately paneled wall. "You can and you will! You are a shinobi of the Hyuuga clan. This is no different than any other mission." He released her and stepped back. Not meeting her eyes, in a flat voice he said, "You will perform your duty as expected." Then he turned and walked back into the banquet hall.

Hinata leaned against the wall, frozen in shock. She had expected her father to help her out of this, if only to preserve his own honor and that of his house. She would never have thought he would go so far for power and prestige. He couldn't possibly love her if he could turn a blind eye to this…even encourage it. Was she really just a castoff…a tool to be used to his advantage?

The Root agents were staring at her; she could feel their dispassionate eyes through their blank white masks. She glared at them both before she turned and slowly walked down the hall.

She contemplated making a run for it then and there, but for some reason her feet kept moving her closer and closer to a nightmare. The ambassador wing was quiet and empty, as everyone was still at the banquet and would be for several hours. The door to Morioka's quarters was strangely unlocked, and she could only assume he had left it that way on purpose – for her. With a pounding heart and a deep, unsteady breath, she hesitantly crept inside. The opulently furnished room was totally dark except for the light coming through the window.

Not knowing what else to do, Hinata just stood there, numb with disbelief that it had really come to this. For two years she'd worried the day might come when it would become more than creepy lecherous stares, when she would be forced to play the role of a kunoichi as Danzou saw it. Only she'd always figured it would be for Danzou himself, not one of his cronies. She didn't know which was worse.

And now she found herself in a dilemma. She would do almost anything to keep her cover, to help the resistance and Konoha. But she wouldn't do this.

There was only one way out of it: to run. Any other course of action would expose her, and then she would have to run anyway, or die. The guard was heavy around the tower tonight because of the banquet, which meant the village patrols were lighter than usual. How long until Morioka came for her? How long until he wondered about her absence, asked someone about it, and word got back to Danzou? Would it be long enough to get out? There might be just enough time to let someone know…

There was a faint shuffling just outside the door, followed by the click of the handle, and Hinata knew it was too late to make a clean escape.

"Ah," said Morioka, smirking predatorily as he closed the door and locked it. "You should have made yourself more comfortable. Maybe even readied yourself a little, eh?"

Hinata stood frozen as he stalked toward her, her eyes fixed on the ornate rug beneath her feet, though she was peripherally aware of every move he made. Morioka was a small and thin, almost gaunt, and he had a habit of repeatedly licking his lips. He'd always reminded Hinata of some kind of reptile. Now with those cold pale eyes fixed lustfully on her, she decided she would rather have a venomous snake wrapped around her than be touched by this man.

When he did touch her, it was only to lift her chin and force her to meet his gaze, but it took all of her control not to recoil.

"Don't matter," he continued. "I'll enjoy taking this dress off you myself." His fingers trailed lightly but not gently across her jaw, and then suddenly he cupped the back of her neck and jerked her forward. His free hand roved up the exposed part of her leg, beneath the slit hem of her skirt, and yanked until it ripped.

Hinata gasped, and couldn't stop herself from trembling. _Stay calm_, she told herself again and again. _Breathe_. _Wait_.

He sensed her fear, and enjoyed it. His hand lingered on her inner thigh, just long enough to heighten her panic, before continuing over her hip and up to cup her breast. He squeezed, hard enough to make her cringe in pain. "Do you know why you're here, girl?" he asked, his wine-sour breath in her face.

Hinata met his eyes in a defiant glare.

Morioka laughed at her. "You don't, do you. Danzou and I have an arrangement, see. He has a little problem he needs taken care of…and I offered to do it for him, if I could have my way with you first."

His fingers gripped painfully into her hair and he jerked her head sideways, exposing her throat. He leaned closer until his hot breath moistened her skin. "I seen the way you looked at me all those times…like shit on the bottom of your shoe. You highborn bitches are all the same. Well look where you are now, princess. Look who's got his dirty hands all over you."

She closed her eyes in revulsion as he licked from her neck up to her ear. He pulled out a kunai and slipped the tip beneath the torn hem of her skirt, preparing to cut the rest of the dress away. She could feel the blade's edge against her naked skin, and knew he intended to cut her when he did it.

"Yes," he murmured against her ear, "tremble for me, princess. You know what's coming now, don't you? I'm gonna enjoy your screams."

The blade pressed, breaking her skin. Her eyes snapped open, bloodline limit activated. Her hands moved lightning-quick, fingers jabbing with surgical precision, and then a hard slam of her palm against Morioka's chest.

His eyes bulged. His heart stopped.

It all happened before the kunai moved a full inch across her skin.

His hands were still in her hair and under her skirt, as if he'd simply frozen in place. With a final, light shove by her, a choked wheeze escaped his throat and he fell over dead.

Hinata stared down at the body, stunned by how fast it had happened. She hadn't consciously planned to kill him, only to incapacitate and escape. She hadn't even meant to use that particular technique. She wasn't even supposed to _know_ that technique, but she'd used her Byakugan to spy on her father teaching it to Neji. Yet when she felt the blade begin to cut...it just happened.

And she was glad.

A sudden rap on the window nearly gave her a heart attack. She whirled around, ready to fight, and saw that Shikaku and Yuugao were waiting outside on the sill. She ran to the window and opened the latch for them.

"Are you alright?" Shikaku asked, climbing inside and looking her over with concern. "You're bleeding…"

Hinata looked down at herself, saw the cut on her upper thigh and the trail of blood running down her leg, staining the dress. "I'm fine." Her voice was toneless, but with strangely detached observation she saw that her body was trembling. "He…he was…"

Yuugao put hand on her shoulder. "We know. Five more seconds and we were going to break through the window."

Five more seconds would have left her with more than a minor scratch, if she hadn't reacted. She looked up at the other woman, confused. "How did you…?"

"With this," Shikaku said, reaching for her. Hinata unconsciously flinched and recoiled from his touch. He realized, and lowered his hand carefully, understanding in his eyes. "Sorry. If you check the lining of your collar…"

She did, and felt a flat, pea-sized lump inside the satin. "A wire transmitter?" she guessed, looking between them. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"We didn't want your awareness of the wire to make you act any differently around Danzou, even unconsciously," Yuugao explained. "When we heard what you were ordered to do we came to bail you out if you needed help…which you didn't." She gazed loathingly upon the dead Moss nin. "If only you hadn't made it so quick and painless."

Hinata didn't follow her gaze. She didn't want to look at that man ever again. "What do we do now?"

"We'll take care of the body," Shikaku said. "You have to get out of Konoha."

"Can't we make it look like _we_ broke in here and killed him?" Yuugao countered. "We could even 'kidnap' her for ransom…"

Shikaku shook his head. "Killing this guy's not why she needs to run." He turned to Hinata. "When he said he had an arrangement with Danzou to take care of a problem…he meant _you_. Danzou knows you've been leaking information to his enemies."

Hinata went cold all over again. "How?"

"Not exactly sure, but tonight as we were waiting outside I overheard a couple Root agents talking about how Danzou knows someone warned Naruto about the attack, and they were under the impression he already knew who it was. It adds up. Morioka was going to kill you tonight."

After he raped and tortured her. Yes, she was definitely glad she'd killed him. Part of her even wished she could do it over again. Slower.

"Go to Naruto and the others," he continued. "Do you know how to get to the Fire Temple?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. I just know it's to the south."

"You won't find it on a map. What you _will_ find on a map is a volcano called Dragon's Mouth. Directly north of that is a valley sometimes referred to as the Dragon's Belly. The temple is there, deep within the jungle. Your Byakugan should help you find it, and avoid the Root squads that will be chasing you. But you need to go now; you only have a few hours until Danzou learns what happened."

"Do you think I have time to go home?" she asked. "I only need a few minutes. There are things I need to take with me, important documents for Naruto."

Shikaku considered, then nodded. "A few minutes, no more. You'll need to change clothes anyway. Just make sure you're not seen."

Hinata nodded, processing it all. She looked between the two older shinobi, uncertain about what to say, knowing she may never see them again. "Thank you," she said at last.

Yuugao gave her a small smile. "Be careful."

"Run as hard and fast as you can," Shikaku said. "And don't stop for anything."

She went out through the window, down the side of the building, and melded into the shadows. She took off her high heeled shoes and flitted barefoot through the backroads, making it home in less than five minutes.

No one saw her enter the Hyuuga compound; most of her clansmen were asleep. She ran to her room, tore off her dress and threw it in disgust, slipped into her normal clothes, and tossed a few things in her travel pack. Kurenai had taught her to always keep her travel gear packed to be ready at a moment's notice, and she was grateful for that advice now. She went to her closet and tore up the floorboard to retrieve the contents stashed in the hidden niche, stuffing them into her pack as well. Another five minutes had passed.

Hinata hurried out to the water garden. Before she left she needed to let Naruto know what happened, and that she was coming to him. He might send someone out to meet her. Root would be hard on her trail before long, and she was going to need all the help she could get.

"Gamagoru?" she hissed. No answer came. Her Byakugan had been active since she went out the Tower window, and she could see that Naruto's summon was nowhere in sight. "Damn it!" she cursed. The toad had never not been there before. Whether that was a coincidence or a warning sign, she couldn't wait around to find out.

She turned to leave, and then froze as Neji silently stepped out of the shadows to face her.

* * *

TBC


	15. Fleeting Sanctuary

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Fifteen: Fleeting Sanctuary

* * *

"It's a good night for an escape, with the patrols lightened," Neji said, "but it was foolish to come back here."

Hinata dropped her pack and slowly shifted her stance, and told herself for the tenth time that hour to stay calm, keep it together. He'd known exactly how to approach and where to stand to be within the Byakugan's single, fractional blind spot. Fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her feel heavy and strangely weightless at the same time. She wasn't sure she could beat Neji in a fight. He was an experienced jounin, and she hadn't been on a mission in over two years. The power gap between them used to be huge…how much had it narrowed? She was so much stronger than she used to be, but she had to assume that her cousin was as well.

But she didn't have to defeat him, she only had to get away from him and keep him from raising the alarm. Her eyes pinpointed the key pressure points where his chakra was concentrated, her mind formulating a strategy for how to hit them. Neji realized what she was doing and his guard went up, but he didn't take a combat stance. Was he waiting for her to attack him? Did he just not take her seriously as an opponent? If that was the case, he was in for a surprise. She hoped.

"I heard what happened tonight," he said.

His expression was obscured by the backlighting of the terrace lanterns, and his tone was equally hard to interpret. She remained alert and ready, in case he was trying to distract her. "What did you hear?"

"That you were ordered to offer yourself to Morioka..."

Now she could hear something in his voice: disgust. But for whom?

"Are you alright?"

Hinata blinked in surprise. This was not what she'd expected. "I'm fine," she said. "I couldn't go through with it." Hopefully he would think that was the reason she was trying to escape, and not because she'd been exposed as a spy.

"Where is Morioka now?"

A spike of renewed fear shot through her. Did he know? "I don't know…" she replied. It was true: Shikaku and Yuugao had certainly moved the body by now.

"I should kill that vile bastard for even suggesting such a thing."

Hinata wanted to retort that it might prove difficult, since he was already dead. _And what about Danzou for agreeing to it?_ she wanted to ask. _What about Hiashi—my father, your uncle—for allowing it to happen?_ She kept silent. He could be baiting her, or trying to stall her.

He took a slow step forward. Hinata quickly stepped back. Neji raised his hands to show he meant no threat. "I'm not here to fight you, Hinata," he promised, taking another cautious step toward her. His face became clear in the moonlight; it was filled with regret. He sighed and said, "I never thought it would be like this."

Hinata studied him suspiciously. There was so much she wanted to say to him: _What exactly _did_ you expect, when you sided with a war-hungry traitor?_ _What did you think would happen under this kind of regime?_ But she had to be careful not to confess to anything she wasn't already suspected of. He might be using empathy as a way to get information. He'd certainly never expressed much care or concern for her in the past.

She decided to test him. "So you don't agree with my father—that it was my duty?"

"No," he said angrily. "That is not what kunoichi are for. You're a Hyuuga, and a strong shinobi. Not a whore to be passed around as a party favor."

Hinata was taken aback by his unprecedented praise, and shocked by his harsh words. But he was right; that was exactly what she'd been treated as. They stood there, watching each other for several moments. Hinata was painfully aware that every second lost was a second closer to Root chasing her down, a second closer to her death. If Neji was trying to stall her, he was succeeding.

Warily, expecting the fight of her life to finally begin, she asked, "So…what happens now?"

A thin smile curled his lips. "Now I help you get out."

In that moment, he seemed so genuine. She wanted to believe that in this, at least, he was on her side. But it would be foolish to let her desire for reconciliation with her cousin cloud her judgment. "Why would you do that?"

"You're not the only one who wants to change things," he told her. "Now let's go. We've wasted too much time already."

Hinata hesitated. Could she trust him? Did she have a choice? He was right that there was no more time to waste. She had to go now, and if that meant going with him…so be it.

Her guard still up, she followed him out of the house and across the Hyuuga compound toward the back entrance. They hurried silently through the quiet streets of the affluent residential neighborhood, keeping to the shadows. Few were awake at this hour, and the windows of the well-kept houses were all dark. Hinata remained several feet away from her cousin at all times, well out of his reach in case he tried something.

He noticed, and eventually said, "You don't have to be so wary of me."

"Can you blame me?" she returned harshly.

They turned a corner and were swallowed by darkness as they moved away from the streetlights. Neji stopped and faced her. "No," he said, quiet and rueful. "I deserve it. You have every reason to hate me."

Hinata stared at him, feeling confused and torn. Things between them had been ugly for a long time—had never been great to begin with—and she was definitely angry…but she didn't truly hate him. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but he spoke first.

"For so long I've felt trapped in this clan…like a prisoner." His fists clenched at his sides. "Being from the branch house…I thought the only path to freedom was respect. I tried so hard to earn that respect, to earn a place in our family. When we were kids I saw how you and Hanabi were given those things by birth, and you both rejected them every day with every choice you made. I thought you were ungrateful, and I resented you."

He shook his head, and his shoulders sagged as he sighed. "It wasn't until…all of this happened…that I realized _you_ had it right all along. I finally got the acknowledgement I was searching for, but I had to sacrifice my pride and my principles to get it. Now I feel more trapped than ever, and the worst part is that _I_ added the bars to my own cage. You have something I've never had: true freedom. You're not a slave to other people's expectations. You made me realize there _is _another way."

Hinata didn't know what to say. It was probably the longest conversation she'd ever had with him, and it was like meeting a different person. She'd had no idea he felt that way all these years. She'd always been so intimidated by him—the prodigy, the pride of the Hyuuga clan, ten times more suited to leading the clan than she was. It was hard to believe he could be envious of her for anything. "Neji," she began, "I…"

She cut off sharply in the same instant he raised his hand for her to be silent. Looking through the building in front them, they could see two Root agents patrolling the south end of the street. They were walking, talking casually to each other, clearly not expecting to find anything unusual in this part of the village. The alley they were standing in was nearly pitch-black. The Hyuugas could see in the dark and the Root agents couldn't, so they were relatively safe as long as they masked their chakra and remained silent. Even so, Neji motioned for her to follow and they crept through the blackness to the next block.

"Well at least that proves Danzou isn't aware you're gone," he whispered as they continued to the outskirts of the village. "They may not be onto you until tomorrow when you don't show up for work."

"It will be sooner than that," Hinata whispered back. "I…killed Morioka tonight."

He paused and gave her a look that was at first surprised, then admiring. "Good," he said. "Now I don't have to."

Hinata couldn't help but smile a little. They'd never really known each other at all, had they? Sad they were only realizing this now, when she was leaving indefinitely.

They reached the village's outer wall and she was surprised to see this section was unmanned. Her eyes did a rapid scan of the area and found the two guards bound and gagged, unconscious in a heap inside a nearby storage shed. She looked to Neji in wonder. He'd done this before he came to find her.

As if he read her mind, he said, "I always knew one day it would be too much and you would go like Hanabi did. After hearing what happened, I knew today was that day. Now hurry; I don't know when the watch changes."

He came with her up the wall. Before going over, she turned to him abruptly and said, "Come with me."

He shook his head, looking almost sad for a moment. "I can't. When you find Naruto and the rebels—if they're there—tell Tenten and Lee I wish I could be with them, but I think I can do more here. Some of the other clan members feel the way we do, and when Naruto comes back…"

He trailed off, but Hinata interpreted the rest. So that's what he'd been up to, sneaking around late at night, giving cryptic explanations for his absences. Once again, she wished she'd known before. So much could have been different. She nodded and said, "I was wrong about you, Neji."

"No, you weren't," he replied. "But I've learned from my mistakes. I'll do the right thing from now on." Hinata reached out her hand. He took it, and squeezed. "Good luck."

She slipped over the side of the wall and sped away into the forest.

#

Fire country had become an occupied territory, teeming with foreign shinobi invited within their borders at Danzou's behest. Hinata had heard lots of talk about this unsanctioned alliance and the amassing of joint armies to take out Naruto and his rebel force, but now she was seeing it firsthand. Seeing it, and desperately trying to avoid being seen _by_ it.

Fortunately, these converging forces had no idea to be looking for her and no reason to stop her if they saw her. _Yet_. Unfortunately, she had to pass straight through them to get where she was heading. The Byakugan gave her a tremendous advantage there, as she was able to pass between perimeter lines and spot patrols before they came anywhere near her.

She ran through the night and all the next day without stopping for food or rest, knowing that Root would begin searching for her at any moment, if they hadn't already done so. In fact she was certain they must be; Morioka's absence would have been noticed by now, as well as her disappearance. The evidence of her flight was in the hasty mess and torn up floorboards of her bedroom.

Hinata kept to the trees, traveling in an unpredictable zigzag pattern, leaving as little trail as possible. She didn't have the time to backtrack or crisscross her own trail or any of the elaborate evasion tactics used to mislead pursuers, but she concealed and confused her passage as much as she could. Root agents were not hunter-nin, but they were elite nonetheless and she could not afford to underestimate them. Crossing the open fields was the most dangerous, but she never stopped running.

Late in the afternoon she spotted a stretch of wetland to the west and decided to go through it. It was miles out of her way, and the boggy landscape would be harsh and the terrain would slow her down, but the abundance of water would obscure her tracks as well as her scent. It was either that, or continue across open land where she would be spotted easily. She reached the edge of the marsh just before sundown. The ground turned spongy, then soggy, and before long she was slogging through water and mud up to her knees. When the water level reached her thighs she went up into the trees again and hopped through the branches. When darkness fell at last it was truly _dark_, but her bloodline limit gave her an advantage, turning that black world to ghostly transparent gray. Strange, eerie sounds surrounded her, and she saw reptiles and disturbingly large insects moving through the night.

It had been over twenty-four hours now since she left Konoha, and her stamina was flagging. Being taken off mission rotation had left her out of shape, despite the training she did on her own. Keeping her eyes activated for so long had also seriously drained her chakra reserves, as had the frantic run through the countryside. She hadn't seen any sign of a human in hours, and the nearly ten-mile range on her Byakugan provided a little reassurance that her pursuers were at least distant, if she hadn't lost them completely.

Hinata decided to stop and rest for a few hours. She found a wide, angled tree branch that was concealed by overhanging foliage, and tried to make herself slightly comfortable. It proved to be impossible. Her damp clothes left her cold despite the humid summer air, and every few seconds she had to swat away the giant mosquitoes attempting to feast on her. Her thigh ached fiercely where Morioka had cut her. She hadn't had a chance to bandage it, and her pants were sticky with dried blood. Her injury put her in a dilemma. If she used a little chakra to close it up, the leftover residue might alert trackers to her presence. But traveling through a swampy environment with an open wound was just asking for a life-threatening infection. She decided to risk healing it. However, she was no Sakura, whose skill was so proficient it sometimes seemed downright magical. Hinata had to _see_ the wound, touch it directly, which meant cutting open her pants. Even then, it took her nearly fifteen minutes to seal the shallow one-inch cut and make sure it wasn't already infected. When finished she wrapped it with a spare strip of binding cloth from her pack.

This small energy expenditure made her aware of how incredibly hungry she was. There was no food in her pack, and she didn't want to risk foraging or hunting as it would spread her trail around. Besides, there were dangerous creatures out here, things that were as likely to eat her as she was to eat them, and she wasn't entirely sure what plants were edible. She drank greedily from her canteen, but forced herself to stop before she drained it, mindful that there was no fresh water to refill it with, only stagnant, bacteria-laden swamp muck. She couldn't go without food _and_ water.

Hinata wondered if this was similar to what Hanabi went through almost six months ago, when she had fled Konoha. Of course there hadn't been immediate pursuit on her trail when she left…but in the days and weeks that followed? Had her sister hidden out in the wilderness, alone and on edge, startled by every creak and thump in the night? Had all of the Leaf fugitives gone through something like this? She'd only been out here for two days; she couldn't imagine doing this for two years. For all the hell she'd been through staying in Konoha under Danzou's regime, she had to wonder if maybe she'd been the lucky one.

Exhausted, miserable and scared, she curled her arms around her knees and hunkered down to wait out the night.

#

The sound of sloshing water brought her to her senses and set her heart racing. With silent dread she realized she must have dozed off, and now someone or something was approaching her hiding place. The marsh was gray and dim, still a couple hours before dawn. She activated her Byakugan instinctively and went completely still.

Below and several meters to her left, four men were wading sluggishly through the knee-deep water. They wore civilian clothing and moved far too loudly to be ninjas. Two of them held crossbows, and one other had a bamboo pole that had been split at the end into four sharp points. The fourth carried a large leather sack. Hunters, she realized, and recalled seeing a small village not far from here last night. In fact she could see it now, a few miles away to the southeast.

They were coming her way, as the only traversable path through the quagmire led them right beneath her tree. She flattened herself against the trunk and waited. It took several minutes for them to pass her by, and none were even slightly aware of her presence just above them. Some hunters _they_ were.

Her heart rate didn't slow until they were well out of natural sight range. Fifteen minutes passed by, and they were nearly a quarter mile away. Only then did she let out a shaky sigh and stretch her cramped limbs.

The hunting party had posed no real threat to her, but she'd learned her lesson. It could have been Root. And in the time she'd spent sleeping, she had lost some of the distance she'd gained from her pursuers. She couldn't fall asleep again, couldn't _stop_ again, no matter how exhausted, until she reached the Fire Temple.

Hinata opened her pack and dug inside, unzipped a small pocket in the lining and pulled out a small plastic vial containing three soldier pills. She'd only ever taken them once, several years ago, and it made her so sick she almost threw it up. The jitters it caused affected some people that way, Kurenai-sensei had told her. But her natural strength was almost spent, and she had to keep going. Resolutely, she popped one into her mouth and forced it down with a swig from her canteen. She checked the map she always carried in her pack, made sure her orientation was right and that she was still heading toward the Dragon's Mouth. Then she shouldered her pack and leapt away.

By nightfall she'd put a hundred miles between herself and the marsh, and, she hoped, an even greater distance between herself and Root. The forests were turning into jungle, the temperature and humidity rising with every southward mile. She paused only long enough to take off her jacket and stuff it in her pack before speeding away again. When she passed through open country she saw mountains far away in the distance, curving away to the south. One of them had to be the Dragon's Mouth. The valley that housed the Fire Temple was just to the north of those mountains. If her judgment was accurate, she would reach it in two days at most.

She ran through that night, and the next day and night too. Her head ached and her muscles burned, her body wanted sleep and her belly wanted food, but she ignored it all with a single-minded determination to survive, to reach Naruto and the rebels.

Sometime in the middle of the night she came to the cliffs at the valley's edge. She couldn't help but take a moment to admire the spectacular moonlit view before setting down the stone-cut path. The valley floor was enormous, several miles wide, and tropical forest covered it end to end. The Fire Temple was somewhere in this forest, but she didn't know exactly where. A river snaked through the endless stretch of trees, and she guessed the temple wouldn't be far from the water source. She started in that direction.

Half an hour later her guess was confirmed; a man-made structure appeared at the edge of her sight range. The Fire Temple. Her sister and her friends. Naruto.

A smile appeared on her dirty, exhausted face. The soldier pill was beginning to wear off, and soon the side-effects would hit her hard: the shakes, the dizzying weakness, the nausea. Already her movement was slower, and she was forced to run on the ground instead of in the trees because her dexterity was shot. She had to make it there before she crashed.

When she came upon the road leading to the temple, she deactivated her Byakugan and relied on natural sight to guide her. Her eyes burned and throbbed from being constantly flooded with chakra, and the return to normal was a shock to her system—bright, vibrant colors bombarded her synapses, and for a moment she thought she might faint. She took a moment to adjust, and then continued on. The forest was growing lighter, and quieter, as the nocturnal creatures retreated to their homes and the daytime life began to wake up. It was almost dawn.

The walls of the temple came into view up ahead, dark and imposing. The massive gates were closed, and the tengu guardians on either side appeared to glare menacingly at any unwelcome intruders. To Hinata, they were a sight of joyous relief. She had made it!

The pre-dawn quiet was cut by a _snap_ followed by a sharp _whoosh_, and Hinata was stopped short as several kunai and crossbow bolts thunked into the ground at her feet. In her jittery exhaustion, the sudden halt caused her to trip and fall to her knees. She scurried backward and quickly got to her feet, only to be nearly shot again as more projected weapons embedded in the ground behind her. She froze, her hands raised outward.

Of course, she should have known better. The rebels didn't know she was coming. An unknown ninja showing up unexpectedly at their hidden sanctuary was not going to be welcomed with open arms. She was lucky they'd only fired a warning shot.

She stood there like that, with quickened breath and wide eyes, for what seemed like forever. At last, with a groaning metallic creak, the gates began to open.

Several figures emerged through the gap. She recognized them all, but her focus was on the one running toward her. A male in dark clothing…with distinctive blond hair. A wonderfully familiar voice called her name, and she could see that he was smiling.

Hinata was smiling as well. "Naruto," she whispered happily. And then she collapsed.

* * *

Naruto saw Hinata start to fall and shot forward to catch her. Securing her in his arms and lifting her up, he turned to carry her into the temple.

Hanabi was immediately at his side. "Hinata!" She moved her sister's hair aside, touched her face. There were tears in her opal eyes. "Is she alright?"

"I think so," he answered. He could feel her weak chakra flickering, her heart racing, but her life-force was strong. "I think she's just exhausted."

Sakura jogged up to them, freshly pulled from slumber with tousled hair and dark circles under her eyes. Naruto knew she'd only been asleep a few hours. "Let me see her," she ordered. She felt for Hinata's pulse, frowned worriedly. "Her heartbeat is unnaturally elevated and her chakra flow is erratic," she declared. "My guess is she must have taken a soldier pill."

"But she's alright?" Hanabi asked again.

"I'll examine her thoroughly once we get inside, but I'm pretty sure she just needs rest."

The heavy gates closed and sealed behind them. Sai was waiting there, and he fell into step with them as Naruto carried Hinata across the temple complex toward the billets. They took her to Hanabi's room and Naruto laid her gently on the futon.

"Sai can you get the light?" Sakura said as she knelt beside the bed. Sai lit the lantern and brought it closer. Hanabi hovered at the foot of the bed, while Naruto stood back a little and watched anxiously.

Sakura laid her hands on the unconscious girl and sent a wave of chakra into her body. It took only a minute for her to come up with a diagnosis. "Acute exhaustion, hypertension, muscle fatigue, dehydration—classic symptoms of relying on soldier pills with no food or sleep." She observed the redness around her eyes and used her thumb to gently push one eyelid open, revealing a deeply bloodshot orb. "Overstrained her Byakugan pretty badly too. She pushed herself hard to get here. _Too_ hard." She pulled the blanket up to Hinata's shoulders. "But she'll be fine once she gets some rest. Speaking of which…" She stood and rolled her neck. "If you don't need anything else, I'm going back to bed."

Naruto shook his head, and smiled at her. "No." She'd been like this for several days, almost since the day they got here. He could tell she was depressed, and he had his suspicions about why. She and Kakashi had been spending a lot of time together, so much that he'd started to wonder. Yet lately they were never in the same place unless he called them to be, and their words to each other were stilted and need-only. Kakashi had been grumpy lately too, outright surly at times, and even a little unfocused. Others might not notice, but others didn't know them the way he did.

Becoming a Sage had given him some interesting abilities; not only could he feel the life-force flowing through everyone around him, he could sense strong emotions as well. Even when he wasn't actively accessing his sage chakra, he could perceive things to a lesser degree. So he could tell his two teammates were unhappy in each other's presence. He had a snowball's chance in hell of getting Kakashi to talk about it, he knew, and Sakura was also unlikely to open up, especially to _him_. Whatever they'd fought about had done a number on both of them. He hoped they worked it out soon.

He patted her shoulder affectionately. "Thanks, Sakura." She gave him a small, tired smile and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Hanabi edged around to take Sakura's place, and held her sister's hand. Naruto crouched beside her and gazed at Hinata's pale, dirt-streaked face. He almost couldn't believe she was really here, and that she'd made it so far in such a short time.

Late last night Gamagoru had come to him, worried. The toad had been forced to vacate the pond at the Hyuuga compound when several foreign shinobi showed up as guests, and their various animal companions started sniffing around the garden. When he'd gone back the next day Hinata wasn't there, nor did she return at any point in the next two days. The toad knew something was amiss, but it wasn't until Root agents searched the house and raided Hinata's bedroom under the furious supervision of her father that he knew she was in danger. Then Hiashi drew some conclusion that led the Root agents to search the garden, and Gamgoru had been forced to leave permanently.

From that report Naruto deduced that Hinata had been discovered somehow and had fled the village. He'd told her where they were weeks ago, and he assumed she would come to them as he'd asked her to. If he'd known she would get here so fast he would have let the guards know so they wouldn't have nearly shot her. But since the exact location of the Fire Temple wasn't widely known, he hadn't expected her to find them so easily. Hanabi and Sai were actually scheduled to leave this morning to search for her.

"I still need you go out this morning," he told Hanabi quietly. "To recon the area and make sure she wasn't followed."

Hanabi didn't like that at all. "I haven't seen my sister in almost six months. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"I understand," he assured her. "But you're the best eyes we've got."

"Actually," she said, smirking, "_she_ is now."

Sai moved behind her and lightly touched her shoulder. "We'll be back by tonight," he said. "I doubt she'll wake up before then."

Naruto looked from his friend to the girl with interest. Sai wasn't a touchy-feely guy, and the way Hanabi looked up at him over her shoulder was…intriguing. He wondered when _that_ started. He had been sending them out together on missions a lot. When he'd successfully conquered his smile, he said, "Sai's right, Hanabi. The way she pushed herself…I wouldn't be surprised if Hinata slept through 'til tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Hanabi agreed and left with Sai to scout the valley and surrounding mountains. Naruto stayed with Hinata a few more minutes, studying her carefully. He'd by no means forgotten what she looked like, but two and a half years was a long time, and his memories of her had lost their sharpness. Except for one, the one that would stay with him, bright and vivid, for the rest of his days.

It was far past time they talked about that. As soon as he could figure out how to formulate his feelings into a coherent explanation that didn't make him come across as a blathering idiot. Maybe he would ask Kakashi for advice.

He summoned Gamagoru, knowing the toad would be relieved to see her safe, and ordered him to stay with her and notify him the moment she awoke. Then he left to perform his duties and see to his people.

By midmorning everyone knew about Hinata's arrival, and the temple was abuzz with gossip about her dangerous deeds and harrowing flight. Of course it was all speculation; only a select few knew what Hinata had really been doing in Konoha, and the details of her escape were only known to Hinata herself. Kiba nearly bowled him over in his eagerness to find out where she was. Kurenai was equally excited, though more restrained. They went to her room and sat with her for a while, and he knew they would continue to check up on her throughout the day.

It turned out he was wrong about her sleeping until tomorrow, though; she woke up just after seven that night. He was in the middle of dinner with Sakura and Shikamaru when the toad suddenly appeared at the center of the table.

"She's awake?" he said through a mouthful. The toad nodded, and he jumped up from the bench.

"Do you want me to come?" Sakura asked him.

He shook his head. "Nah. I just wanna talk to her and find out what happened. I'll call if she needs you."

He didn't catch the amused looks on their faces as he turned to go.

Before leaving the dining hall he grabbed a bowl and filled it to the brim, and carried it to the dorms with him. Holding the bowl in one hand, he knocked quietly on her door, and faintly heard its occupant shuffling around before she told him to come in. For some reason he suddenly felt nervous. _Don't be ridiculous_, he told himself, and slid open the door.

"Hi," he said, grinning.

Hinata smiled. "Hi."

She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, the covers still wrapped around her. Her long black hair wisped around her face in an odd sort of halo. It was a serious case of bedhead, and it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

He held out the bowl with both hands. "Um, here. I figured you must be starving."

She took it gratefully, and then stared at it, hesitating, until hunger overpowered modesty and she began shoveling giant clumps of rice into her mouth. Naruto watched her, smiling broadly, for several minutes. She was nearly finished when she noticed him staring at her and blushed beet red, her cheeks still puffed out like a chipmunk preparing for winter.

_That_, he decided, was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

She carefully set her chopsticks in the bowl and stared at them, embarrassed.

"Want more?" he asked with no trace of mockery. "I can get you more if you're still hungry."

Hinata shook her head. "No. Thank you."

"How are you feeling? Sakura said you had acute exhaustion and hyper—hypertension…that's high blood pressure right? But she said you just pushed yourself too hard coming here and you'd be fine once you got some rest." Now he was rambling. What the hell was wrong with him all of a sudden? It was Hinata; he'd known her for years, talked to her dozens of times.

She gave a small smile. "I feel better now. I'm sorry I…passed out like that. I really wanted to talk to everyone again. It's been so long."

He'd forgotten how soft her voice was. "_Too_ long," he agreed. He sat down at the edge of the bed and faced her. "But you take as much time as you need to rest. We're all really happy you're here."

Her smile widened and they looked at each other for a long moment, until her pale cheeks grew rosy again and she looked away. Her eyes wandered around the small space. "Is this Hanabi's room?" she wondered.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I recognize her hairbrush."

Naruto followed her gaze and saw an ornately carved brush on top of the dresser, glinting softly in the low light. He blinked. "Is that _real_ silver? Who has stuff like that? It must be worth a lot."

"It was our mother's."

"…Oh," he said, feeling like a jackass.

Silence stretched between them, neither one really knowing what to say next. Eventually Naruto said, "I had a room set up for you down the hall. You can move there whenever you want."

"Thanks," she said again.

"My room's at the other end of the hall," he blurted inanely, and immediately wanted to slap himself.

Hinata didn't know what to do with that information, so she just sat very still, her face perfectly composed. After a few moments she realized she was still holding the empty bowl, and moved to set it down. Naruto reached out instead, and took it from her and set it on the floor. With nothing in her hands, she started fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.

Their long-distance conversations via toad were never like this. They'd been so comfortable and natural. But now that they were face to face again it was the same old start-and-stop awkwardness. This wasn't how he wanted things to go between them. Naruto forced himself to take a big mental pause and a deep breath, and started over.

He looked into her eyes and asked, "What happened, Hinata? Why did you have to leave Konoha?"

Hinata didn't answer right away. She smoothed her long tangled hair back, fidgeting with the ends as she thought of how to begin. Finally, in a halting voice she said, "It started at a banquet…"

Once she got started it seemed to flow out of her in a rush, as if she was relieved to get it off her chest. Naruto listened intently to her story, trying to remain patient, but inwardly growing angrier with every minute. When she got to the part about the Swamp leader she started to withhold details, and he knew it was because she was still too upset to talk about it. He kept his face calm, his demeanor compassionate, but inside his blood was boiling. If she hadn't killed the son of a bitch he would have been seriously tempted to run back to Konoha just so he could do it himself.

Her eyes darted around without really seeing anything, and her shoulders sagged in a sigh that was both happy and distraught. "I can hardly believe I'm really here," she said at the end. "I've wanted to be with you guys for so long…"

"You're one of us, Hinata," he replied quietly. "This is where you belong."

A tiny frown creased her brows as she looked at him. Then her pale eyes began to glisten, her face crumpled, and she hunched over in a quiet sob. She covered her face with her hands.

Naruto scooted across the mattress, hesitated uncertainly, and then gently laid his hand on her shoulder. He had never seen, or even _heard_ of her crying. Not in front of anyone. When she didn't pull away he moved his hand in a consoling circle across her back, and a moment after that, he tentatively encircled her in his arms. She began to cry harder then, but he knew it had nothing to do with him. This was the past two and a half years finally crashing down on her. Two years of abuse and degradation, of anger and fear and loneliness, all ending in the string of traumatic events that brought her here.

Hinata buried her head against his chest and wept. His arms tightened around her and he rocked her gently back and forth, murmuring soft reassurances against her hair. "Shh. You're safe now…I won't let anything happen to you anymore. I swear. Shh. It's okay…" Then he trailed off into silence and simply held her.

A knock at the door made her jump, and she hastily pulled away and wiped her eyes. Her face was red from crying, but she was also blushing furiously, and she pointedly avoided looking at him. He scooted back to an inconspicuous distance, his own face feeling rather hot.

"_Hinata? Are you awake?_"

Hinata instantly perked up at the sound of that voice, grinned and said, "Come in, Kiba!"

Kiba rushed in and practically tackled her. Akamaru was right behind him, and the giant dog climbed halfway onto the bed to lick and paw at her, making loud excited-dog noises. Kurenai was there as well, and patiently waited her turn to hug and fuss over her student. Naruto was completely ignored and was soon crowded right off the bed, and went to stand by the door with a smile on his face. He watched their reunion for a couple minutes, and then slipped out unnoticed.

He thought about looking for Kakashi to try and wheedle him into having a man-to-man talk, but as he was walking across the complex he spotted a dark blot in the pink-orange sky and knew that Sai and Hanabi were back. He headed for the courtyard and met them when they landed.

Hanabi leapt off the ink-bird before it touched down and ran straight up to him. "Is she awake yet?"

He nodded. "Just a few minutes ago. Kiba and Kurenai are with her."

She bounced and shifted on her feet, thrumming with impatience. She was torn between personal and professional, wanting to run off but not wanting to shirk her duties.

Sai came to her rescue and said, "I'll tell him."

"Go on," Naruto added. She flashed them a quick smile and took off. He turned to Sai. "Tell me what? What did you find?"

"She was followed."

His good mood evaporated. "How many?"

"Twelve. Nearly a full platoon."

He knelt and quickly performed a summoning jutsu. Five cat-sized toads appeared before him. He told them, "Find my command personnel and send them to me," and they quickly bounced away. He stood again and looked back to Sai. "How far are they?"

"They're already in the valley. They must have slipped through while we circled the other way. The good news is they don't seem to know where we are."

"What do you mean?"

"They're tracking Hinata, but it looks like they don't realize she had a specific destination. They lost her at the cliffs, but they knew she came down into the valley so they're trying to pick up her trail again on the floor. However, they're going the wrong way, toward the river, possibly thinking she crossed it to throw them off."

"So they must not know the temple is here or that would be their first guess. Meaning they have no idea _we're_ here," Naruto said pensively.

Just then Shikamaru, Sakura, Kakashi, Tenzou and Naida arrived, and he brought them up to speed.

"We could just watch and wait," Tenzou suggested. "They may pass through without incident."

"They know she's in here. They'll scour this valley end to end before they give up," Sai countered.

"He's right," said Kakashi. "They'll discover the temple or they'll pick up Hinata's trail and follow it here. Either way, they'll find us."

"Not if we find them first," Naida said. "If they discover the Fire Temple is in this valley they won't engage us directly; there are too few of them. Instead they'll pull back and report our location to Danzou, and he'll send an entire army. Our best bet is to take them out before they realize we're here."

Sakura spoke up then. "When an entire platoon doesn't return Danzou will know something happened to them here, and he'll send another force to investigate anyway. He'll definitely put two and two together."

"It can't be helped," Shikamaru said. "We can't risk letting them stumble upon us and then get away. Danzou will figure it out eventually anyway. Whether he comes to us or we go to him, a battle is inevitable. Better it be on our terms."

Naruto looked to Naida. "Take all the ANBU. Do it in stealth so they don't have a chance to send messages or jump away. No one gets out of this valley." The black-ops commander nodded, the glint in his dark eyes revealing his excitement for an old-fashioned hunt. He looked at Kakashi and Tenzou and repeated, "_All_ the ANBU. Each of you can lead a squad. That should be more than enough." They nodded and left with Naida. To Sai he said, "I want you to scout the air from above and report any runners to those on the ground. But don't be seen."

Shikamaru lit a cigarette and sighed. "I'll put out a general alert." He walked off toward the commons.

Naruto noticed Sakura glaring at him petulantly, and gave her a helpless shrug. "Hey, I wish I could go too." Before, he'd had no choice but to fight because he was right in the middle of it. Now, as the commander, his job was to sit back and worry. Kakashi and Tenzou had repeatedly drilled that into him over the last year, but it was a frustrating transition.

She huffed, knowing he was right, but hating it all the same. "How is Hinata?" she asked after a moment.

"She's good, all things considered," he replied. "Wanna go see her?" Sakura agreed, and they walked together back to the dorms.

* * *

The hunting party returned shortly before midnight, and brought back twelve bloodspattered white masks as grisly trophies. The Konoha ANBU fiercely hated Root—always had, as it was a splinter faction within their own division who opposed the Hokage by definition. They had carried out tonight's mission with extreme prejudice.

Which made them very popular with the rest of the Leaf nins, for as soon as they came through the gates they were surrounded and congratulated and urged to relate all the gory details. The ANBU had mixed feelings about this; they enjoyed the admiration, but weren't used to being openly acknowledged for their actions. Especially not without the anonymity of their own masks.

Naruto had been hanging out in the dining hall with Sakura and Hinata, who was hungry again after cleaning up and moving into her new room. She had accumulated a large entourage in the past couple hours; friends and acquaintances who had missed her and wanted to hear her story. When the announcement came, the entire reunion party had followed him out to the courtyard.

Kakashi, Tenzou and Naida came over to report the mission's success. Sai landed a few moments later and joined them.

"No survivors," Tenzou added. "And no outbound communication. They thought they were hunting down a solitary, weakened girl. They weren't ready for a real fight."

"Any injuries?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Nothing that needs a medic," said Naida, "A few minor cuts, and Ruka dislocated her shoulder, but she's already reset it."

She rolled her eyes a little, but didn't press the issue. ANBU were an enigmatic bunch who took care of their own whenever possible. If they wanted to be 'tough guys'–or girls in this case—and suffer unnecessary pain, that was on them.

"Tonight was a victory, but this is only the beginning," Tenzou said frankly.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Sakura was right," he said, looking at her. "Sooner or later they will come back in force."

Their eyes held just a little too long, and Kakashi didn't so much look away as _drag_ his eyes away from her. Naruto noticed. Sai noticed it too, he was sure of it. Even Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in their direction. No one else seemed to have caught it, but his teammates weren't as subtle as they thought they were.

Naruto looked to Sai. "You're familiar with Root protocols; how long before Danzou gets concerned about his missing platoon?"

"For a seek-and-destroy mission…a week at least," he said. "Probably more like two or three."

"We know they'll be back," Shikamaru said. "The question is…do we wait for that to happen, or do we leave again?"

Naruto shook his head, torn. "Where are we going to go? At the same time…this place doesn't belong to us. These monks took us in; we can't drag them into this any more than we already have."

"Please don't concern yourselves with that."

They turned to see Ichirai Shingen approaching them. The blind abbot leaned on the arm of Hozo Inei, who guided him.

"Master Shingen…" Naruto murmured in surprise.

"We knew what we were getting into when we offered you sanctuary," the old monk continued. "We do not take our bonds with Konoha lightly, and those of you here today are the _true_ shinobi of the Leaf."

Master Inei added, "The brothers of the Fire Temple, of _all_ the temples in this land, will stand with you in this war."

They stared at the monks, stunned into silence. Finally Naruto blinked several times and muttered, "I-I don't know what to say…"

The abbot smiled faintly. "Say nothing. From now on do not consider this temple merely a place to hide and plan strategy. It was built as a fortress long ago and it remains one today. It is a stronghold for all who follow the Will of Fire. It is only fitting that the war for the soul of Konoha should begin here."

'_The war for the soul of Konoha_'. Naruto liked that. That's what it was really about in the end: the core ideology of their people, and how they lived their lives as shinobi.

Naruto straightened and nodded gratefully. "It's settled then," he told his comrades, raising his voice so everyone could hear him. The crowd of Leaf nins gathered around. "This is where we make our stand. We wait for Danzou to bring the fight to us. Then we'll take it right back to his doorstep and evict his ass from our home!"

He grinned fiercely as the courtyard erupted in cheers.

* * *

TBC


	16. In Live Defiance

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Sixteen: In Live Defiance

* * *

War was coming. In truth it had already begun; the brief skirmishes over the past several weeks were just smaller parts of a larger whole. Soon it would be fully upon them—two weeks, a month at most. Lingering at the edge of the collective awareness was the reality that many would not live to see the other side of this war. Many of them would give their lives in the fight to save a home they would never see again. Knowing this, the rebel shinobi of the Leaf village did the only thing they could.

They celebrated.

Their victory tonight was small, but significant. They completely routed the enemy and had taken no losses themselves, not even any injuries worth speaking of. It was a much-needed boost to morale after the setbacks and losses they'd suffered. There would be no more running. Here, at the Fire Temple, they would begin to fight back.

A bonfire blazed in the center of the training courtyard. The Leaf rebels had chosen the largest open space and piled up a small mountain of wood, and as a final touch, they placed the twelve white masks of the vanquished Root agents on top; a symbolic warrior's offering of their intent and commitment, perhaps even a request for favor from the heavens. The masks were still visible at the top of the pyre, warping in the flames.

Tables and benches had been carried over from the dining hall and arranged in a rough semicircle around the fire, and shinobi sat around in groups drinking and hollering and enjoying themselves. Some of the monks stayed up late to join them and had generously provided a few barrels of sweet melon wine. Some even brought out musical instruments and played for them. A raucous drum-and-flute tempo flowed across the courtyard, and several half-drunken revelers leaped and danced uninhibited around the fire. The stone statues lining the opposite side of the courtyard cast flickering shadows that appeared to dance with them, a fierce warrior's dance.

In a corner of the courtyard, away from the noise and bright lights, Naruto and Hinata sat together on a low crumbling stone wall.

"I'm so sorry," she said guiltily. "You just got here and I gave your position away. I was so careful…I-I tried to cover my tracks and I didn't see anyone for miles. I thought—"

"It's alright, Hinata," he said. "They probably knew you'd be watching for them and stayed well out of Byakugan range. Or they just didn't discover you'd gone as quickly as you thought they would; they were almost twelve hours behind you, after all." He gave a small shrug. "They were going to find us soon anyway, and it's time we stopped hiding." He glanced out across the courtyard, gestured at the partygoers. "Look around; everyone feels that way."

He gave her a smile that did funny things to her insides. It always had. Still, it was hard to be in a celebratory mood. There was something about the circumstances of her journey here that didn't sit well with her. She went over the details of her escape again. "Neji must have betrayed me," she concluded, angry and sad. "He seemed so genuine, like he really meant the things he said. I was suspicious at first, but then…I guess I just really wanted to believe him." A horrible thought occurred to her. "What if Danzou knew about Morioka already and ordered Neji to 'help' me escape so I would lead them right to you?"

"We won't know any of those answers until we return to Konoha," Naruto said, frowning slightly. "But if Neji's really a traitor he'll be held accountable along with the rest of them."

Hinata looked down at the leather folio resting on her lap. Were the contents of this folder worth Neji catching her and possibly informing on her to Danzou? Yes, she decided. They were worth everything. She picked it up, unwound the string securing the top flap. "I have something for you," she told him. "Several things, actually. First…" She pulled out a thick manila envelope and handed to him.

Naruto pulled out a file and looked over the first page, flipped through several more, and smiled. "These are about my parents…"

"Yes. I was searching the secret archives for something else and I found a box full of information on them. Your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, and your father—"

"Namikaze Minato. The Fourth Hokage," he said casually. "Yeah, I know."

Hinata was taken aback. "H-how?"

"He told me. I talked to him in a…well, in a kind of vision, I guess. My mom, too. They sealed part of their chakra into the kyuubi seal to protect me, as a failsafe in case I ever lost control. It happened when Konoha was attacked by Pein…" He trailed off into silence, thinking of what happened that day to make him lose it. Hinata was staring at him with wide eyes, so he stumbled on. "Anyway, I kind of suspected already. I mean I see myself in the mirror every day, right?" He laughed.

Her face fell, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks. "Of course. You look just like him. Everyone must know by now."

Naruto realized how flippant he sounded, especially when at the time, learning his parentage had been one of the biggest – and happiest – surprises of his life. He quickly backpedaled. "That doesn't mean I don't appreciate this," he assured, gripping the envelope in his hands. "I do. A lot."

He looked through more of the contents. There were mission records, details of Kushina's routine evaluations as the previous jinchuuriki, and personal documents as well: his mother's foreign birth certificate and immigration papers, and his parents' marriage license. Last in the envelope was a small pocket photo album. He greedily flipped through the pages, absorbing each image with fascinated awe. He turned a little so Hinata could see as well.

It was the story of a relationship. Their outings together at places he recognized, funny and relaxed moments at home. His instant favorite was one that Minato must have taken early one morning: Kushina in front of the bathroom mirror, twisted around in surprise, glaring at the camera with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, her fiery hair a wild mass around her head. Looking at that snapshot in all its candid ingloriousness, he somehow felt like he knew why his dad had fallen for his mom.

They were all just so…normal. So _real_. Minato and Kushina. His parents. In these photos they existed, and they were in love.

In the last few shots Kushina's stomach was round and swollen. He pressed his finger against the protective film covering. "That's me in there!" he croaked.

"Your mom was beautiful," Hinata said, smiling softly. "Her hair's so pretty."

He grinned. "Wasn't she? I heard she had a hell of a temper though."

The couple wasn't paired in every shot, as one or the other must have been the photographer. But in one that stood out in particular, they were. His mom and dad stood together, his arms around her shoulders and hers around his waist, her large belly pressing against him. Their heads were together, and they were both grinning like idiots. It had to have been taken just weeks before he was born. They were so happy. And there _he_ was, pressed between them in his mother's belly, secure in a cocoon of love. It was the closest thing he would ever have to a family portrait.

"Wow," he murmured quietly. For a long minute he couldn't look up; he was dangerously close to bawling like a baby. When he finally looked at Hinata there were tears in his eyes. "These are really great," he choked out. She had given him a glimpse into his family, and he was more grateful than he could ever hope to express. "Thank you so much."

She smiled shyly, her cheeks pink again. "You're welcome," she replied quietly. She fidgeted with the folio in her hands. "There's more. I mean, nothing like _that_, but…" She held the folio out with both hands.

He took it and browsed through the documents that exposed Danzou's corruption and illegal dealings. His eyes went wide as he read, his mouth slowly falling open. His eyebrows rose up, and then shot down to a frown in alternating moments of surprise and outrage. "That bastard," he muttered to himself. He looked up at her. "You uncovered all this?" She nodded. He shook his head in wonder. "Some of this stuff…what you did was really dangerous."

"I could have done more if Danzou hadn't found me out," she said ruefully.

"Would you stop blaming yourself?" he shot back. "Things happen sometimes that are beyond our control. Like…you think in the beginning I didn't wonder what I could have done if _I_ hadn't run from Konoha? But I know I did the only thing I _could_ have done, besides die and be of no use to anyone. You did the right thing, too. All we can do is move forward." He gave her a reassuring smile. Hinata blushed and looked down at her lap, and a few strands of glossy black hair fell across her face, hiding it in shadow. It was funny and cute, how easily she blushed. "You risked everything to come here," he continued. "You're really brave, Hinata."

She let out a breath that was very close to a scoff. "Hardly. I'm scared all the time."

"That's what courage is: action in spite of fear."

A wry little smile curled her lips. "I thought that was called recklessness."

Naruto laughed. "I'm serious, though. Like what you did that day, standing up to Pein when I was defenseless." He stopped himself, uncertain of where he was going.

There were only three times in his life when he'd truly come close to dying. Three was a lot for someone under twenty, maybe, but for a ninja it was considerably low. The first time was when Jiraiya threw him off a cliff on the gamble that he'd be able to pull off a summoning jutsu out of sheer desperation. The gamble worked, but he'd been pissed at that old pervert for days. The second time was when he fought Sasuke at the Valley of the End. He didn't really like to think about that anymore (he'd thought about it way too much). And the third time was when he fought Pein. He'd all but lost, was sprawled out in the dust, impaled and helpless, seconds away from that fatal strike…then _she_ was there, her back to him, long hair blowing in the wind, defiant and fierce as she shielded him. He would remember that moment forever.

"You saved my life," he continued finally. "So much happened afterward…I don't think I ever thanked you for that."

Hinata excused it with a small shrug. "You didn't really have the opportunity," she said without looking at him. "Like you said, a lot happened after that…"

That wasn't entirely true. He'd been shell-shocked by her confession, by his frightening loss of control after seeing her nearly die for him. He just hadn't known what to say, and he'd avoided her like a coward. But hadn't he vowed to stop dodging it?

He reached for her hand, held it between both of his. "Well I'm saying it now." Her hand was delicate and pale inside his tan, callused palms, but he could feel the strength there as well. "Thank you, Hinata. For everything."

For a moment she just stared at her hand between his, blinking slowly. Naruto was _holding her hand_. A giddy feeling rose up inside her, and she couldn't help but think of everything she'd been through to get here. He called her brave, but she could only remember being scared every day. Was he right; was bravery really the overcoming of fear? Naruto was the bravest person she knew. She asked him, "Are…are _you_ ever afraid?"

He thought about it for a moment, and gave an ironic smile. "I never used to be," he said. "But now…always."

She was surprised to hear him say so. "Why?"

He looked out across the courtyard at the joyful shinobi who would follow him to victory or death. Then he looked down at her hand, perfectly joined with his. "Because I have so much to lose."

* * *

Sakura watched her comrades' drunken attempts at acrobatics with wry amusement. Izumo and Kotetsu had made a bet on who could do the highest leaping somersault over the bonfire, and in minutes half the other men were in on it. She figured it was only a matter of time before someone was on fire and her medical skills were needed.

If she could stand up, that is. She hadn't tried in a while, and she wasn't too sure of the odds.

Glancing down at the clay jug of sweet melon wine, she tried to recall what number it was. She had shared one with her friends. Then Lee had somehow gotten a swig or three when no one was looking. His tolerance for alcohol hadn't improved any over the years, and when he tried to pick a fight with Kiba over some perceived insult—or maybe for no reason at all—Tenten had whacked him over the head with an empty jug and dragged her unconscious teammate off to his room. So the broken jug was one. This one must be two. She picked it up and swished the contents in a lazy circle, determining it to be a little less than half full.

Sakura sighed. Drowning her sorrows was a bad idea—she'd watched Tsunade do it enough times to know it never helped. Like everyone else she just wanted to have some fun for a change, to take her mind off of the things that had been weighing her down the past couple weeks.

"Feel like sharing?"

_Speak of the devil_, she thought, stiffening as Kakashi slid onto the bench beside her. He rested his elbows on the tabletop and regarded her with an even expression that told her absolutely nothing about his motives for approaching her. She reluctantly handed him the bottle. "I suppose…"

He took a long swig straight through his mask. Sakura fleetingly wondered how sanitary that was. She watched his profile, the way the firelight caught the tips of his silver hair and made them glow, but looked away before too long. It was almost harder being near him, talking to him with things between them like they were, than it was not seeing him at all. At least then she didn't have to pretend.

"Congratulations," she said, trying to sound amiable.

His eyebrow rose slightly. "For?"

She gestured vaguely toward the revelers and the bonfire where twelve white masks were slowly blackening to ash. "For your resounding victory."

He shrugged. "That was mostly Naida. I don't particularly relish wholesale slaughter."

He made it sound like their mission had been more vicious and brutal than brave and admirable. "Doesn't sound like it went very well," she prodded carefully.

"Depends who you ask." He took another drink. "ANBU has always been a ruthless group, and ANBU with a grudge…"

She studied his half-hidden expression. "Is that why you left?"

"I was reassigned. The Sandaime thought I'd become a little too detached, so he selected me as a jounin sensei. Great man, but he didn't always have the greatest ideas."

"You hated it."

"Intensely," he affirmed without hesitation. Then he met her eyes and smirked. "At first."

"Is that why you failed every genin team before us?" She took the bottle from him and drank, not caring that his mouth had just been on it. Been there, done that.

He snatched the bottle back as soon as it left her lips and took a long drink, using the moment to phrase his answer. "Imagine being part of a group of highly trained, elite soldiers for over ten years…and then taking a job as a glorified babysitter."

She gave him a sideways look as he handed the bottle back. "A little harsh, but I guess I see your point. A bunch of naïve twelve-year-olds must have seemed ridiculous to the famous Copy Ninja."

Kakashi blinked. "That's not what I meant."

She held his gaze steadily. "Yes it was."

He shook his head, and his tone grew gentler. "No, Sakura. I meant that…ANBU functions on personal competence and absolute efficiency. Leading and teaching a team of inexperienced genin requires compassion and infinite levels of patience. I was never the right guy for that job."

She considered his words silently. Experience had taught her that Kakashi was a deeply compassionate person, even sometimes feeling compassion for enemies. He just didn't like to show it. Patience? Not so much. A caring and gentle approach to teaching that garnered the trust and admiration of small children? Laughable. She smiled softly. "I think we turned out okay."

"Better than okay," he returned. "Pretty damn incredible."

"So you didn't hate it in the end."

His eyes crinkled up in a smile. "Best mistake I ever made."

Sakura laughed and took a drink. She'd missed him terribly. Talking with him, bantering and laughing and hanging out like this. More than the intimacy they had briefly shared, she just missed her friend. Could that be the reason he sat down next to her tonight—because he missed her, too?

Kakashi leaned over and reached for the wine, and this time as she passed it to him their fingers brushed together along the neck. His rough fingertips slid slowly over her knuckles, slightly moist with condensation from the bottle, and a tiny current shot through her arm. It was slightly ridiculous how such a small, mundane thing could be so thrilling. He'd somehow scooted closer as well, and now that he'd touched her, his nearness was powerfully apparent. She could feel the heat between them, a soft, pulsing addition to the warmth of the fire and the balmy night. It seemed to her that he felt it too, for he took his sweet time sitting back, and he remained within her personal bubble. Sakura couldn't say she minded. In fact it was so much the opposite that she didn't dare look at him directly.

He took a swig, cleared his throat. "Anyway, becoming your sensei got me out of ANBU, and for that I'm glad."

"Why?"

He stared out across the courtyard, not really looking at anything. "You go into it expecting that nearly everyone you know will eventually be killed. It's a statistical fact. So no one really gets close. Respect and admiration, sure. But never camaraderie. I thought it was what I wanted after…but I never felt more alone. If not for the Sandaime I probably would have stayed there until I died and been secretly miserable the whole time."

Sakura was always surprised when he opened up like this. Especially now, considering the current state of their relationship. She had to wonder if maybe he regretted their last conversation and was trying to make up for it without directly apologizing. Whatever the reason, the rift between them had unexpectedly grown smaller tonight, and she was glad of it.

Kakashi just shrugged, once again brushing off a rare moment of candor with practiced nonchalance. "And, like I said, it's a rough place. Turns out at heart, I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Sakura snorted, only slightly amused by his attempt at humor. "I'll believe that when I see it."

The look he gave her was unmistakably charged. "You could."

She fixed him with a level stare, all amusement gone. Was he seriously trying to flirt with her right now? Had he drunk so much he'd forgotten the last two weeks? Had he suffered blunt trauma to the head tonight that left him with short-term memory loss? Surprisingly, there was no rancor in her voice as she reminded him, "I already tried. Seem to recall being rejected."

Kakashi stilled, remorse creeping into his eyes. "Sakura…"

Sakura turned her face away and took another drink, more to mask her expression than anything. She immediately thought of leaving, but she really didn't want to. She didn't want to go back to the avoidance and the tense silences. She wanted it to be all good between them again.

"Interesting turn of events," she mused with feigned casualness, nodding toward the wannabe circus performers. One of them had just had a close call and was now furiously patting his smoldering backside while his buddies looked on and laughed. "It's kind of surprising that everyone's so fired up tonight."

Kakashi watched the spectacle with the same masked indifference she did, and gave a slow, audible sigh. "It's always been like this in wartime," he said, years of experience coloring his words. "They're not just celebrating their victory tonight. They're celebrating life itself, defying the death and pain waiting just around the corner. During the last war, the Sandaime used to tell us, '_know life in every breath, and live with no regrets._'"

Sakura looked at him pointedly. "A wise philosophy."

He held her gaze. "It is."

She turned toward him. "Then why don't you believe it?" That time she couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

His eyes roamed over her face, studying every detail. His reply was so quiet she wouldn't have heard it over the party din if he wasn't sitting so close. "I'm starting to."

Sakura didn't respond, afraid anything she said or did would be a huge overreaction. If he meant what she thought he meant, he would do something wouldn't he? And if he didn't, well, she wouldn't look like a fool by throwing herself at him. The seconds ticked by, so long that she was about to force herself to look away. And then her attention was forcibly diverted as Sai swept in and sat on the bench facing them.

"Well aren't you an eloquent pair of drunks," he remarked cheerfully.

He'd obviously overheard them, at least in part, and witnessed what passed between them. He looked back and forth between them with keenly narrowed eyes—the expression he got when he was just about to figure something out.

Sakura welcomed the distraction, but Kakashi was less enthused, and didn't bother to hide it. He raised a cynical brow at his teammate and flatly said, "Your observation skills are spot on tonight."

Sai shrugged and picked up the bottle, bringing it to his nose. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was truly oblivious, or only pretending. "I never understood why people drink alcohol," he mused. "It makes them do the most nonsensical things."

"You've never tried it?" Sakura asked.

"I have. I even tried some of this." He tilted the jug, making the liquid inside slosh. "It's not bad, but the aftereffects are terrible. A few hours of fun that you may regret anyway aren't worth the headache, dehydration and general illness the next day."

Sakura tried to imagine him drunk and decided it was a good thing he didn't like it. Sai barely had any inhibitions as it was. Sai under the influence would be a menace to society.

"To each their own," Kakashi said, reaching across the table to snatch the bottle back and take another drink.

Sai gave him a bemused look, as did Sakura. Something had certainly gotten into him tonight. Sai looked like he was about to comment on that when Hanabi came up to them.

"There you are." Her voice was breathy, like she'd been running around searching a while. She looked to Sakura and Kakashi and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Sakura returned. Kakashi just nodded. Hanabi didn't care either way; it wasn't them she was interested in.

"Come with me," she told Sai, bending to grab his elbow. "I want to show you something." Sai got up, gave his teammates a little farewell smile, and let Hanabi lead him away.

Sakura snorted. "Bet you ten ryo I know what she wants to 'show' him."

"Noticed that, did you?"

"Mhm. He has no idea what he's in for…"

"I'm sure he'll enjoy finding out."

There was that look in his eye again, a look that made her wish she could lead _him_ away into the dark. She looked away before her own eyes betrayed her. Silence stretched between them as she pretended to be interested in the goings on around them. More playing pretend.

Then she felt Kakashi's hand on her leg. His fingertips brushed lightly across her thigh, slowly inching higher. She turned toward him, eyes widening. "What are you doing?"

"Touching you suggestively," he answered glibly.

Her attempts at maintaining composure and distance were rapidly disintegrating into dust under his light touch, but her voice was remarkably calm. "That much is obvious. But…why?"

Kakashi looked down at his itinerant hand and appeared to genuinely consider the question. "Because of these little shorts you insist on wearing every day." His fingertips slipped just beneath the edge of the snug fabric to give it an audible _snap_.

Sakura stared at him openmouthed.

He wasn't finished. "You have amazing legs, you know. It's driving me crazy not being able to touch them…" He sighed with exaggerated wistfulness.

Sakura finally gathered her wits, and frowned. "That was your decision," she reminded.

"Even your illustrious team leader makes mistakes now and then." He kept his tone light and playful, but a seriousness settled about him, telling her he really meant it.

Still, Sakura couldn't help but be amused. "_'Illustrious'_? You really need to work on your self-esteem—" His hand moved across her bare skin again, further inward, and the weight and heat of his touch nearly made her jump out of her skin. She banged her knee against the table. "Kakashi!" she hissed. "People can see us!"

His gaze slowly traveled upward, and she felt the heat of it across every inch. "Then let's go somewhere else."

Every fiber of her being was in conflict. She should say 'no.' She should get up and leave and go shut herself in her room. Better yet, she should find a large boisterous crowd and immerse herself within it. But she really, _really_ wanted to say 'yes.'

So she did. Nearly giddy with nervous anticipation, she grabbed the wine jug and followed him away from the courtyard. The sounds of music and revelry faded away as they strolled aimlessly toward the temple's dark interior. A few paper lanterns winked away the darkness, casting mysterious shadows across the surrounding stone walls.

Kakashi removed his eyepatch and rubbed at his eye, then slid down the fabric covering his face, a faint grimace on his lips. "Mask's wet…"

Sakura gave him a look. "I wonder why." She found herself staring up at him as they walked, drinking in the sight of that handsome face she hadn't seen in two weeks.

She tripped over a protruding root and nearly fell on her face.

Kakashi laughed openly and caught her by the shoulders, steadying her from behind. His hands pressing on her shoulders were warm and welcome. She wanted to lean back into him.

He reached around her and took the wine jug. "Okay, I think you've had enough."

She shoved at him playfully. "You're not the boss of me."

"Actually, I am."

She shook her head adamantly and boldly slipped her arm through his, enjoying the firmness of muscle beneath his sleeve. "Technically you're not. You're a middle manager. _Technically_, we have the same boss. Which is—"

"Naruto," he finished for her.

Sakura burst into laughter. "That's a scary thought!"

They passed beneath one of the under-tree archways. "Careful now," Kakashi teased, "lots of roots around here."

"Shut up," she said petulantly, but then she was laughing again.

"Middle manager…" he mused, "I don't think I've ever heard my rank and job title described so…boringly."

"Being a jounin team leader is very commendable," she returned airily. "You should be proud."

He shrugged. "It's a thankless job, but someone has to do it."

"Whatever! Everyone practically worships you."

"Yes. Everyone but my own teammates."

"That's not true." She was about to say something serious and genuine, but at the last moment decided to keep it light. "If so, it's only because we know how uncool you really are."

He gave her a wounded look. "I'm not uncool…"

Sakura watched his adam's apple bob as he took another drink, and then sputtered with laughter as he tilted the bottle too far and sloshed a bit of wine down his chin. "Yeah, that was _real_ cool…" She reached up and wiped at the trickle, her thumb sliding softly across part of his lower lip, then down across his scar. She looked down at the faint glisten of moisture on her thumb, and brought it to her own mouth to lick the sticky sweetness away.

Kakashi caught her hand before she could lower it. Her eyes flew up to lock with his, and the intensity in them caught her breath in her throat. They were very close, almost chest to chest, her other arm still linked with his. He shifted even closer, and her head tilted back. The tiny space between them thrummed with electricity.

Voices rang out through the dark, loud and unruly. A small group of revelers had decided to take the party elsewhere. They came around the corner at the other end of the yard, laughing and stumbling, oblivious to everything but their own good time.

Sakura tried to step away from Kakashi, but he caught her around the waist and pulled her to him. The world began to spin and dissipate. She felt a familiar feeling of dizzying weightlessness, and the next thing she knew they were standing in his quarters.

Disoriented, she gasped and nearly stumbled again. "Whoa." She leaned against Kakashi, who held her steady. _Figures_. He always left markers in his room so he could vanish whenever he wanted, a habit he must have picked up from his sensei. Eventually her head stopped spinning, and her eyes scanned the small living space. The bed was half made, covers pulled up unevenly. His weapons and gear were strewn haphazardly over the dresser and along the wall.

She suddenly became aware of the dilemma of being alone with Kakashi in his room, and of the fact that he hadn't let her go yet.

His arms encircled her, and he buried his face in her hair. "You smell incredible," he murmured, lowering his head further, breathing her in.

"I smell like wine," she said dazedly. "And so do you."

"Besides that. You smell like…_Sakura_." His hands slid across her waist to the curve of her back as he nuzzled her. "I don't know what it is, but…sometimes when you walk by me, it's all I can do to stop myself from pulling you into a dark corner and having my way with you."

His breath fanned across her neck, followed by his bare lips, and it was all she could do to keep breathing. Her hands tightened in the folds of his shirt. What was happening? "…Are you drunk?"

"Hmm." He kissed her neck once, then again, moving slowly toward her ear. "Have you ever seen me drunk?"

"No…" she conceded breathlessly. "But there's a first time for everything."

His hands slipped beneath her shirt to caress her bare skin, and he pulled her firmly against him and growled, "There certainly is."

Sakura gasped in pleasure as he nipped just below her ear. Her hands seemed to move of their own accord, slipping past his outer tunic to feel the hard planes of his chest and stomach. Her head was beginning to feel light and faraway. She was so tired of denying what she felt for him, so tired of pretending. She wanted this. Gods, she wanted it _so_ much, yet…there was part of her that was still coherent enough to realize the incongruity of this situation.

And she wasn't about to let him have it both ways. She pushed against his chest, forcing a little distance between them. "Kakashi, you said you didn't want to do this. In fact you made it pretty damn clear."

"I never said I didn't want to," he muttered in a tone that could only be described as pouty. "Only that we _shouldn't_. It's still true. But I was wrong about one thing."

"What?"

"You're not a distraction. You're an obsession."

Sakura blinked slowly, not quite knowing how to take that. "I see…"

"That's not all." His arms settled around her again and he just held her, his chin resting on her shoulder. "It was wrong to think being together would hurt our jobs," he said quietly. "Being _without_ you hurts my job. I can't focus. I think about you all the time. You and your shorts."

Sakura wanted to laugh. Or cry. Instead she pressed her face against his shoulder and held on tight. _Tell me you mean it_, she pleaded silently. _Tell me you're not going to push me away again when you're sober_.

His hands moved slowly up her back, into her hair. His fingers threaded slowly through the strands, over her scalp, sending tingles down her spine. He held her head in his hands and tilted it upward, lifting her face to his.

"Kakashi…" she whispered softly. Then his mouth settled on hers and she was lost. Her hands fisted in his hair. She tasted wine on his lips and in his mouth, like sweet nectar she couldn't get enough of.

They wasted no time. They knew what they wanted, why they walked into the darkness together and why they were here now. Kakashi's mouth raked the curve of her neck, and she tilted her head for him, moaning softly as every slide of his tongue and nip of his teeth inflamed her sensitive skin. He was steering her toward his bed, never breaking the momentum as his hands pushed and peeled her clothes away. It was a nuisance, these concealing, hindering bits of fabric, and they needed to go immediately. His hands roamed over her rear, cupping it, slipping beneath her shorts and sliding them halfway down. He yanked the zipper of her shirt open, nearly breaking it in his haste to expose more of her flesh to his greedy touch.

Sakura responded in kind, unbelting his tunic and forcing it down over his shoulders so she could feel the firm smoothness of his arms. She untucked the fitted undershirt beneath with jerky, impatient tugs. When the shirts were finally gone she wasted no time in blatantly groping all the deliciously hard planes of muscle she'd secretly drooled over so many times. His body was like a weathered sculpture: exquisitely formed but worn with scars and years of hard use, all the more beautiful for its imperfections.

They reached the bed before they succeeded in stripping each other, and it was Sakura who pushed Kakashi down onto the thick futon. He held on, pulling her down on top of him. She eagerly straddled him, hands on either side of his head. His mismatched eyes were dark with fire, burning just for her. His body stretched out before her like a country she yearned to explore, a map she needed to learn. She leaned forward and kissed him, a quick, teasing taste, before moving her mouth to the salty skin of his neck, and then lower, over his collarbones and the smooth expanse of his chest. His hands tangled in her hair, winding tight, and an encouraging sigh escaped his parted lips.

But Kakashi wasn't content to lie back and let her have all the fun. After only a few moments he was back in action, a near animalistic urgency to the way he touched her. His hands roved ceaselessly over her body, across her back, squeezing her thighs, removing the rest of her clothing as they went. Their mouths were everywhere at once, their kisses feverish and hard. Every muscle in his torso flexed as he pushed himself up, pulled her under, and slid on top in one smooth motion.

His hands found her breasts, encircling them perfectly, strong fingers pressing firmly against her hardened nipples. His mouth followed, impatiently closing around a taut bud through the thin fabric of her bra. Sakura gasped and arched into him. With one hand he pulled the fabric down, exposing her to the full sensation of his lips and tongue, while the other snaked beneath her and popped the clasp with an expert twist of his fingers. Then the barrier was gone and he ravished her like a man starved. The short stubble on his chin and cheeks tickled with an indefinable pleasure-pain that left her trembling. Each brush of his fingers against her naked skin coaxed her senses a little further toward the edge. She tried fervently to keep up, pulling open his pants and sliding them over his hips as far as she could. Kakashi took care of the rest. Somehow every last scrap disappeared until there was nothing left between them.

His full weight settled against her, his erection straining against the apex of her thighs. He wasn't going to draw this out and she didn't want him to; she was more than ready and practically delirious with need. She grasped his shoulders tightly, clawing with encouragement. Their eyes met for the first time since he kissed her, and she nearly melted. The intensity and focus she knew well from a hundred shared battles was now directed at _her_ in the form of unadulterated passion. It was more intoxicating than any liquor. She could feel the carefully restrained power within his frame as they hung suspended, poised on the brink of something unknown, dangerous, thrilling.

And then he was inside her, and everything seemed to grow sharper and fall away at once. There was nothing gentle or tender about it, just pure, heated, raw desire. Anticipation rewarded. Lust fulfilled. Total surrender.

Kakashi moved hard and fast, and she rose to meet every forceful thrust. Their bodies grew slick from the heat of the night and the heat they created together. They bruised each other's lips and left tiny red teeth marks wherever their mouths could reach. He pushed her thighs further apart, drove himself deeper. Sakura slid her hands over his sweaty back, locked her arms around him tightly, nails digging into his skin as she bucked her hips against him, demanding release.

It came as an explosion. Sakura floated away on a wave of bliss, spiraling out until she didn't know where she ended and he began. A sharp, gasping cry tore from her throat, but Kakashi muffled it with a kiss. Their tongues tangled, careless and frantic. He tore his mouth from hers, buried his face against her throat with a muffled growl. He thrust into her _hard_, and again, and again, and again, until she thought she might die from the pleasure. He tensed, shuddered, and fell over the edge, pulsing inside her.

When he moved again, it was only enough to take his full weight off her before sinking down into her arms once more. His arm slowly curled around her, and he breathed a quiet sigh. He seemed on the verge of sleep.

Sakura closed her eyes and turned her face into that unruly mess of his silver hair. A heavy drowsiness settled over her as well, weighing her limbs until she could barely move them. It was as if all the sensation had simply drained out of her with that final crash of ecstasy and she was left floating, empty and content.

She felt him press a lazy kiss against the skin of her shoulder, and a sleepy smile curled her lips before she drifted away.

* * *

TBC


	17. Static Sky

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Seventeen: Static Sky

* * *

The room smelled like sex and booze. If there was any question in his groggy mind about how his night had turned out, his keen sense of smell settled all doubt the moment he awoke. The next thing Kakashi noticed was that there was _not_ a sexy naked kunoichi with pink hair curled around him in blissful slumber. Nor was she quietly getting dressed across the room, offering him a lovely view of her shapely figure. He couldn't even sense her chakra.

Sakura was gone.

He rolled onto his side and looked around. A shaft of sunlight through the tiny rectangle of a window inched slowly across the facing stone wall. The wine flagon lay overturned on the floor, carelessly abandoned in their haste to rip each other's clothes off. Some of the contents had spilled onto the floor in a small puddle—which accounted for the strong odor. His clothes were haphazardly strewn about, but Sakura's were gone. He ran his hands over his face, up into his hair, and sighed.

Maybe she went to the bathhouse. Maybe she was bringing him breakfast in bed. Or maybe she'd just run out on him like a bad one-night stand.

Kakashi sat up slowly, rubbing his neck and shoulder. The slight sting under his fingers announced the presence of tiny claw marks left there by a woman who was every bit as spirited in bed as she was in everything else. He smiled, remembering. She'd clearly enjoyed herself, so why did she leave? She hadn't seemed drunk, only buzzed, loosened up enough to allow him to bridge that gap and show her he still wanted this despite his reservations. So it wasn't like she hadn't known what she was doing; he wouldn't have taken her to bed if that were the case. Had he hurt her so much with his pragmatic rejection before that _she_ no longer wanted this?

Last night, afterward, Sakura had fallen almost instantly asleep. But Kakashi remained in that half-state between sleep and waking for some time, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, the soft skin of her thigh beneath his hand. The only thought in his mind at the time was that she smelled and felt wonderful. But deep beneath that was the awareness that they had just crossed a line they could never come back from, for better or worse.

The fact that '_for better_' wasn't the obvious outcome in the rational and sober light of morning, well, it wasn't a very encouraging start. Neither was waking up alone. He thought he'd finally come to a decision, but Sakura's evident doubts led _him_ to have doubts all over again. He lay back again and stared blankly at the ceiling, with no idea where they would go from here.

* * *

The village at the south end of the valley had no official name. When asked, the residents simply referred to it as "haven." It was a sleepy little farming community situated at the mouth of the pass, and surrounded by a thick wall of bamboo—more than a collection of huts, but less than a town. They were completely self-sustained and had no real need for trade, but since it was the only populated settlement for miles before entering the mountains they earned a small income by occasionally selling provisions to travelers. The villagers also worked in cooperation with the monks of the temple, trading supplies in exchange for protection and spiritual guidance.

When three monks arrived late in the morning with an escort of six shinobi, they were greeted with welcoming smiles. An old woman brought a pitcher of lemonade for them to drink, and several young men and women and _all_ the children came out to get a glimpse of the exotically strange ninjas they only ever heard about in stories.

The Leaf rebels were determined to provide for themselves and not be a strain on the temple's modest resources, so Shikamaru took a group along with the monks for security as well as business. Sakura had volunteered to come today and offer her medical services to the villagers in exchange for more goods.

It was a very convenient and totally justifiable excuse to get away from the temple for the day.

She'd just finished treating her last patient: a little boy who'd broken his arm falling off a fence. Now she waited with the rest of the group for the last of the supplies to be loaded onto the wagon. She fanned herself with a small palm frond that was woefully ineffective against the midday heat, and impatiently observed the surroundings. There seemed to be as many animals as there were people in this place. At least a dozen cats sunned themselves on the mud and tile rooftops, and sleeping dogs occupied the shady porches. There were also goats, pigs, chickens and even a mule, and that was just what could be seen in the immediate vicinity.

The mercury thermometer on a nearby wall read 98 degrees. It would be even hotter by afternoon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky: what most would consider the perfect day. To Sakura that vast expanse of pale blue seemed barren and empty, and the lonely white sun was so angry about this abandonment that it was punishing the world below.

She looked down at Shiko, who sat panting at her feet. "You could escape this, you know…go back to your own world for a while?"

The pup looked up at her. "I like it better here."

"Suit yourself." She bent to scratch behind her soft furry ears. One was still floppy, while the other stood straight up. In a couple more weeks they would both be upright.

Shiko bumped her head against Sakura's fingers and wagged her tail languidly. Even _she_ was too hot to be energetic. "Can I has more water?"

"Have," Sakura corrected, and went to refill the bucket at the pump. She refilled her own canteen as well, and they both drank greedily. She closed her eyes and wiped at the sweat trickling down her neck.

"Now you tell what's wrong?"

It was the third time she'd asked. "Shiko…"

Shiko was unfazed. "You upset makes me upset. I don't like it." She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes in an uncannily human way. "Is Kakshi, yes?"

Sakura glanced at Shikamaru and the others loading the wagon. Her voice was low and guarded. "Why do you say that?"

"I smell him on you. All over."

Sakura frowned incredulously. Dogs and their damned noses…

The ninken pressed on. "He is your mate?"

"No," she said a little too quickly, feeling heat spread across her cheeks. "I mean, not exactly. I—" She cut off with a frustrated huff.

"You don't know?"

Sakura looked at the ground, at the dirt caked to the toe of her boot. "No," she muttered. "I guess that's the problem."

"Just ask."

A dry laugh escaped her. "It's not that simple."

Shiko cocked her head again, the other way. "Why not?" she asked. When Sakura didn't answer, she doggy-sighed and added, "Humans is weird."

"_Are_ weird."

"_Are_. You fight with him?" She wasn't giving up yet.

"No."

"Mad at him? Or he at you?"

"…No."

"Then is stupid to be upset."

Sakura gave the ninken a hard look, but said nothing. She couldn't understand; she was too young, and animal emotions were far less complicated in any case. Yet there was a ring of truth to the pup's naïve words. She'd left this morning without even speaking to Kakashi, and she was admittedly jumping to conclusions. But she was afraid where that conversation would take them.

A five-month-old ninken pup wasn't who she wanted to be talking to about this. She wanted Shizune's advice, and made a mental note to seek her out once they got back to the temple.

Shikamaru walked over, wiping his brow against his rolled up sleeve. He'd finally shaved his beard off, but only because it was too hot to keep one. "It's almost time to go," he said. "Have you seen Kotetsu and Izumo?"

"Last I saw they were trying to get dates," she answered dryly. The two handsome and outgoing shinobi had been an instant hit with the village girls.

He sighed irritably. "They have two minutes, then we're leaving with or without them."

Sakura bent to Shiko. "Can you find them, please? I'd rather not wait any longer."

"Me neither," the pup groused, and trotted away with her nose to the ground.

"She's getting big," Shikamaru remarked, watching her go.

Sakura nodded. "And smart. Sometimes _too_ smart."

He put a cigarette in his mouth and mumbled around it, "Having a talking pet would be troublesome."

"You know she's not really a 'pet'. Sometimes she's exasperating, but most of the time she's extremely valuable."

"It's pretty remarkable that Kakashi put you on his summoning contract, huh," he said evenly, glancing at her. "I didn't know you guys were so close."

They didn't call him a genius for nothing. Still, Sakura wasn't going to confirm or deny anything. Instead she eyed his cigarette and said, "How can you smoke in this heat?"

He was careful to blow the smoke away from her. "No idea," he mused, observing the stick between his fingers. "Used to it, I guess."

Sakura just shook her head. Izumo and Kotetsu came running back a minute later wearing identical grins that said whatever they'd been up to, they'd succeeded. Shiko went straight for the water bucket and stuck her head in. Benkei and the other monks and chuunin who'd loaded the wagon were doing much the same; alternately chugging from their canteens and pouring water over their heads.

"Everything set?" Shikamaru called out to Benkei, who responded with a thumbs-up. "Alright let's go."

The group fell in beside the wagon, took a moment to mentally brace themselves for the long walk through the heart of the humid jungle in near-triple-digit heat, and set out. One of the monks drove the wagon, and the rest walked so they wouldn't kill the poor mule hauling their load.

Over the next two uneventful hours, Sakura thought of only two things: how miserably goddamn hot it was, and Kakashi.

When she woke this morning with her head in the crook of Kakashi's arm and her legs entwined with his, the first thing she did was smile. She raised her head and looked at his face, then shifted a little, testing. He was profoundly asleep and not moving. She brushed her fingertips lightly over an old scar on his chest, and settled back down to bask in the memory of the night before.

The longer she lay there, the more her contentment eroded away into doubt. Last night they'd been riding on the same high as everyone else, filled with the thrill of living on the edge. Would she still have gone for it if her inhibitions hadn't been lowered? And what about Kakashi? Was he going to wake up with a hangover and lament his bad decision? There had been no asking permission, no talk about feelings and the future. They just took what they both wanted, quick and dirty. And that was okay. They were consenting adults. Only…the old saying was true: sex changes everything. Especially between friends with a complicated history who had to work together every day.

She'd raised her head and looked at him again, thinking of how amazing last night had been. She wanted him wake and make love to her again. She wanted to flee. She wanted to stay and kiss him—on his lips and elsewhere. The intensity of her conflicted feelings frightened her. She needed time to think. She lay there debating with herself for at least fifteen minutes before she got up and crept away.

It was a cowardly thing to do, but she'd had to leave. She couldn't face looking into his eyes and seeing regret, and worse, the resignation to distance her again. She would rather go about her life pretending it never happened than hear him tell her they were a mistake.

#

When they got back to the temple Shiko went off on her own to find some shade for a nap, and Sakura helped unload the cargo into the storehouse behind the kitchen and then went to seek out Shizune. She found her where she'd expected to, in the unused classroom they'd set up as the new medical clinic last week.

The doors were pushed open to the fresh air, and Shizune slouched on a chair just inside, lazily fanning herself with a clipboard. She'd cut her hair off to its old chin-length style a few days ago. She claimed it was because of the heat, but they'd spent over a year in the scorching arid lands bordering Wind country, and Sakura believed it had more to do with grief.

"Hey," she said, leaning half-inside the doorway. "Do you have a minute?"

"What do you think?" Shizune replied, gesturing at the empty clinic. "What's up?"

The threshold was raised like a step, and Sakura sat on it facing outside, against the opposite frame so she could look at Shizune. "I have a problem," she began hesitantly, "and I'd like some advice."

She spilled her guts, telling Shizune everything. She talked about what happened with Naruto and how it had almost ruined their friendship. About the night she spent in Kakashi's apartment and how she'd seen a whole new side to him. About what had grown between them in the past couple months and how he'd ultimately rejected her with some emotionally detached logicality, only to come to her later and say it was a mistake to call it off. And finally, her cheeks as red as her shirt, she told her about last night and how she'd run out this morning.

Shizune's eyes were like saucers as she stared at Sakura, trying to process the bombshell that had just been dropped on her. Finally she said, "So let's make sure I have this straight: you tried to force something with Naruto when you knew there was nothing between you. And now you _are_ attracted to Kakashi, and he to you, but you don't want it to go anywhere?"

"Pretty much," Sakura muttered.

Shizune shook her head incredulously. "Your logic is all out of whack. If it's what you want, go for it."

Sakura said what she seemed to say over and over: "It's not that simple."

"Then what is it? Why can't you be with him?"

Sakura didn't answer for a long moment, reluctant to voice what she'd barely even acknowledged to herself. She stared at the ground, playing with the buckle at the top of her boot. At last she blurted, "Because I love him."

Shizune blinked hard. There were a lot of things that could be said to that, but all she could think was, "That was fast…"

A heavy sigh escaped her. "No it wasn't."

Though she was still confused, Shizune's expression softened in understanding. "How long?"

"I don't know…a couple years. Since the night I stayed at his place, I suppose." Since the night she met the real Hatake Kakashi, with all his flaws on display, his heart and mind open to her in complete trust. "It's absurd," she laughed humorlessly, "because that's the last time I saw him until he found us in Busan. Is it possible to fall in love with someone when they're no longer around?"

"I think it's definitely possible to _realize_ you're in love with someone when they're no longer around," Shizune replied, drawing on her own experience of spending years apart from Genma – twice. She got up from her chair and sat beside Sakura on the threshold, put a hand on her arm. "I had no idea…."

Sakura gave a casual shrug, but a tight feeling crept into her throat. "I've never told anyone. The point is, he can't love me and he'll only break my heart."

Shizune frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"You know how he is—he keeps people at a distance. Even the people closest to him." She stared blankly at a patch of fern along the pathway. "People subliminally tell us who they are all the time, but we never seem to listen. We keep hoping they're what _we_ want them to be." She shook her head, willing the stinging in her eyes to go away. "He warned me. It's only a matter of time before he withdraws again. I knew better, but I went there anyway."

A single tear slipped past her careful guard. She sighed again and let her head fall. "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" she murmured through her knees. "When I let my feelings get involved I get irrational and do stupid things. Why can't I just focus on being a great shinobi?"

Shizune carefully smoothed the fringe of pink hair hiding her friend's face. "Because you have a big heart and it's full of love," she said quietly. "It's a strength, Sakura. Not a weakness. To deny it is to be someone you're not." She gave her ponytail a light tug. "Which is why you're miserable."

Sakura lifted her head, petulant. "I'm not miserable."

Shizune gave her a knowing look, to which Sakura just huffed and looked away. "Hey," she said. "I've known Kakashi a long time. I wouldn't give up on him just yet. He's a tough nut to crack, you know that. There are all sorts of reasons why he is the way he is, some you know, and others he keeps secret. He's like an onion; you peel away one layer, and there's another underneath. It takes a while to get to the core."

Sakura looked at her, an odd smirk on her lips. "So…is he a nut, or an onion?"

Shizune smiled and shrugged. "Metaphor isn't my strong point. You should go see the abbot. I talked to him, and he helped me a lot."

Sakura studied her friend; she was finally smiling again. Sometimes it didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was there. Her woes were trivial compared to Shizune's, and if she could carry on, then Sakura certainly could as well. Maybe the abbot _could_ give her some clarity. "I think I will," she said, and gave her a grateful hug. "Thanks."

Shizune rubbed her back. "Anytime."

#

The monks had retreated to prayer and meditation for the rest of the afternoon, and would all but disappear after sunset. She managed to find one and asked him where the abbot could be found, and he told her the Master meditated in his study at this time each day.

The center of the temple complex was quiet and serene. Sakura could hear birds in the trees, the gurgling of the springs, and her own soft footfalls. All else was still. The abbot's office adjoined the prayer hall, and she tried to move as quietly as a whisper through the cavernous shadow-filled chamber. A few monks were immersed in prayer before the massive statue, and the soft murmur of their sutras echoed through the dim. A quiet rustling from high above made her look up, and she saw birds darting between the pillars.

The abbot's aide was sitting on the floor outside a set of doors inlaid with intricate floral designs wrought in metal. They looked ancient and incredibly heavy. He opened his eyes at her approach and pressed his hands together in greeting. Sakura returned the gesture and asked quietly if it would be possible for her to speak to the Master. The monk rose and went through the doors. When he came back out he bowed and motioned for her to enter. He never said a word.

The heady perfume of incense hung in the air, and thick tendrils of smoke curled in the narrow shafts of light through the window slats. Ichirai Shingen sat in the middle of the room, legs folded beneath him, hands on his knees in a pose of meditation. He exuded a calm, powerful aura that seemed to make even the air go still around him. Without opening his eyes he said, "Come inside, child."

Sakura silently padded to a stop in front of the aged monk, sank to her knees and bowed. "Master Shingen. My name is Sakura. Thank you for seeing me."

"How can I help you, Sakura?"

Sakura suddenly felt awkward and ridiculous. What was she supposed to say? '_O wise and venerated master who I hardly know, can you please take time out of contemplating the mysteries of the universe to help me with my boy problems?_' What was she thinking?

She felt the strong urge to say 'never mind' and slink away, but that would make her look even more foolish. "I…I'm not sure why I'm here," she stammered. "I thought maybe…"

Ichirai Shingen smiled and held out his hands. "Come here."

Sakura inched forward on her knees until she was right in front of the abbot, and nervously placed her hands in his. The dry warmth and surprising strength of those wizened hands immediately made her feel secure, more grounded, as if they were a tether that kept her from blowing away in the storm of her own internal chaos. His rheumy eyes searched her face as though he could actually see her. Or see _into_ her. She felt his energy surrounding her, brushing against her skin. It was like what she did with her chakra when she healed, only on a much deeper level that went beyond the physical. Sakura made herself relax, and let him in.

After about a minute he released her hands, and softly said, "Your heart cries."

Sakura stared at the old monk in awe. His words struck some place deep within her, and she intuitively knew he didn't mean her emotional state of today, or the last week, or even the last month. Without knowing her or ever speaking to her before, in less than a minute he had rooted out the true source of all her turmoil. How could he know, when she barely knew herself? How could he be the one to tell _her_, and she only knew it to be true once he'd said it? When she responded her voice was tight with emotion, and tears welled in her eyes. "It was betrayed..."

"Long ago," he said, nodding.

Sakura started, though she knew she shouldn't really be surprised. "How…?"

"You are not newly heartbroken, child. You are afraid." His voice was raspy with age, but gentle and soothing. "It is an old fear, though something in your life has recently caused it to surface again. A new love, perhaps?"

Sakura nodded, though she knew he couldn't see it. "…Yes."

He folded his hands into his robes. "You must not allow your past to taint your present. This wound is old, but you will not let it heal."

Sakura almost frowned. _Let it_? It's not like she wanted to be this way. "I don't know how," she said, making a conscious effort to not become defensive. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I'm afraid to be hurt again."

"Have you been to the gardens here at the temple?" the abbot asked.

"Yes," Sakura answered, not sure where he was going. "It's very beautiful."

"There are thousands of flowers there, blooms of every color and size. The loveliest flowers often have the sharpest thorns. Others are poisonous. Some are unremarkable by comparison, but are the most fragrant. Some have unseen properties to hurt, but many more are used to heal. It is nearly impossible to know and understand them all. But to never walk in the gardens again, to never experience the joy and beauty it brings to the world, would be to live a life unfulfilled."

Sakura smiled as the meaning became clear. She couldn't close her heart just because one beautiful prickly flower had left her bleeding. She shouldn't judge all men by the same standard, expecting them to do the same. Keep trying at love again and again, even if it hurts, even when it seems overwhelming and impossible, because the reward is always worth it.

"I understand," she said, but trailed off in a quiet sigh. Unfortunately, that was only half the problem.

"Is there more that you wish to talk about?" the abbot said after a few moments of silence.

Sakura worried her lip between her teeth. He had already helped her so much, how could she ask for more of his time? Especially for relationship advice. Surely that wasn't in his job description. "Well…"

"Speak honestly," he urged. "Nothing is too trivial if it is powerful enough to trouble the heart."

"There's another side to the story," she said hesitantly. "One that I have no control over."

"There always is, when more than one person is involved," the monk replied sagely.

Sakura carefully considered how to talk about Kakashi. "He's a shinobi like me," she began. "He's seen and done many things, and he carries many old scars, outside and in. He's lost all of his family and many of his friends to war…most of them when he was very young. Because of that he doesn't get close to people. A lot of people care about him, but he always keeps them outside."

Master Shingen nodded knowingly. "It is often this way with those who follow the warrior's path. In time the pain, loss, and guilt become too much, and they seek to prevent it from happening again. It is impossible. The heart follows its own rules and seldom heeds the mind. Nor can we control death or the pain it brings. Yet this is the soul's way of protecting itself. Sadly, this part of him is unlikely to ever truly change. Though I believe you are wrong about having no influence."

The abbot stretched out his hands again, and she held them without hesitation. "You are a healer, are you not?"

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"A warrior and a healer both. Ferocity and compassion in equal measure," he mused with a small smile. "Living proof that the world is but many shades of gray. You have a unique spirit, Sakura. I believe this, above all, is what draws your scarred shinobi to you.

"To those who have suffered great loss, nothing is more precious than a constant friend who will never abandon them. Their fear might make them push against intimacy like a wave pushes the shore, but often what they truly desire is for someone to stand their ground, even to push back."

"But what can I do?" she murmured uncertainly. "I can't force him to be with me."

"No, you cannot. However, he reached out to you and let you close for a reason, even if he does not know what it is. You may never know that reason, but you must make _him_ know it. When one truly knows their own heart, the world rights itself." He squeezed her hands gently. "Do you understand?"

Sakura thought his words over carefully. "Yes. I believe so." She scooted back a few inches and bowed to the floor. "Thank you, Master Shingen. This has helped me a lot."

His wrinkled hand lightly touched the top of her head in benediction. "I am glad to have eased your mind and heart, child."

Sakura heard voices outside, loud and excited, accompanied by the quick staccato of running feet. She sat up and looked to the window, then at the abbot. He didn't look toward the sound; his blind eyes were closed.

"Something is happening," he said distantly. "A stranger has arrived, and their presence troubles many."

"Is there danger?" she asked, growing concerned.

"I do not believe so, though your young leader is quite agitated."

"Naruto…" She got to her feet, and was halfway to the door when she caught herself, turned around and bowed again. "Thank you again, Master." Ichirai Shingen raised a single hand and bent his head in acknowledgement. She left as quietly as she came in.

#

Sakura found herself smiling all the way back through the prayer hall and outside. Who knew the wise old abbot was a love guru?

The running and shouting had seemed to come from near the temple's entrance, so she went in that direction, but she didn't exactly hurry. If it was that important, wouldn't Naruto send a toad to find her? Unless he was too preoccupied to think of it, she realized. She was about to pass beneath a carved archway when she saw Kakashi coming toward her. Her stomach flip-flopped anxiously. She hadn't had time to think about how to approach him, what to say.

He strode up to her with focused intent, but she couldn't tell if he was angry. She opened her mouth to speak, but he grabbed hold of her arm and steered her into the opening. The wall was one of the thick defensive barriers that divided the temple into quadrants, and the archway beneath was really more of a tunnel. On either side was a shadowy recessed alcove where defenders could attack enemies by surprise, and Kakashi pulled her into one so they couldn't be seen by anyone passing by.

He pulled down his mask and stared at her. "Why did you leave?" he demanded quietly. His tone wasn't angry, but confused and definitely offended.

Sakura looked away, unable to hold that penetrating gaze. "I don't know," she said to the wall. "I…didn't want to wait around to be kicked out." It was an accusation, but it came out sounding weak and sad.

A soft breath of dismay escaped him. She glanced up apprehensively. He wore the strangest expression, wary and wounded like she'd just punched him in the face and was about to throw in a kick for good measure.

"Sakura…" He took her face in his hands and kissed her, hard and full, and in that kiss was both a question and an answer.

She curled her fingers into the folds of his tunic, and only broke away when she started to get lightheaded. A wondering smile on her lips, she breathlessly asked, "You don't regret it?"

"I regret not getting to have an encore this morning," he said frankly. His mismatched eyes searched her face. "Do _you_ regret it?"

"No," she answered softly. Her eyes lowered to his chest and she smoothed the wrinkles she'd made in his shirt. "I just…didn't know what to think."

Kakashi tilted her head up again, demanding her gaze. "I realize I haven't given you much to go on, but I would never treat you like that."

Had she worked herself up and felt miserable all day for nothing? When she thought about what she potentially missed out on she wanted to kick herself. "Now I feel like an idiot," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

He looped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his chin to the top of her head. "You can make it up to me later. I insist."

Sakura smiled and slipped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes and delighting in the feel of him. Then she heard voices and movement in the distance again, and snapped back to attention. For a few moments she'd forgotten about everything but Kakashi. He'd noticed too, and was looking intently at the courtyard beyond the passageway.

"I wonder what's happened," she said as they released each other. She didn't tell him how she knew there was something amiss, not wanting to explain her talk with the abbot. "Think they caught a scout?"

"Maybe. I doubt it's a crisis, since there hasn't been a call to arms," he said. "But it's obviously a big deal. Let's find out." His hand at her back, they started forward.

#

At least half of their number and several monks had gathered at the temple's outer courtyard in front of the gates. Of those, roughly a quarter had formed a tight circle in the middle, their weapons drawn. The air vibrated with murmurs and whispers, crackled with hostile tension and battle-ready chakra. It confused Sakura at first, because if an enemy was among them why were they inside the temple and not being shot at from the walls?

They pushed through to the front of the crowd and then came to a sudden stop. Sakura grabbed Kakashi's arm in sheer stomach-dropping astonishment.

Sasuke stood at the center of the circle.

He was faced off with Naruto, whose roiling fury Sakura could feel from where she stood. From Sasuke she sensed nothing, which was odd because last time she'd seen him, his insane murderous rage was so strong it made her physically ill. He wore a shabby, travel-stained cloak that was frayed at the edges, and his shoulder-length hair was tied back in an untidy ponytail.

Sakura and Kakashi moved closer, but not too close, in case Naruto decided to unleash hell on their unwelcome guest. Sasuke didn't look at them. They were near enough now to notice that his eyes were bloodshot and ringed in dark circles, his unshaven cheeks were slightly sunken, and he reeked of stale alcohol. Apparently there hadn't been a lot of talking up to this point. Either Sasuke had just now been allowed to enter the gates, or they'd been staring each other down for the past few minutes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sasuke?" Naruto demanded, his voice low and measured. Anyone who knew him well knew how dangerous that tone was. His fists were clenched white-knuckled at his sides. "How did you find us?"

"I heard rumors, here and there," Sasuke answered, his voice so low only those nearest him could make out what he said. "That Hidden Leaf is engaged in a civil war. That foreign armies are swarming across Fire country, chasing down a group of rebel shinobi. That these rebels are supposedly led by the true Hokage." He gave a nearly imperceptible huff. "I assumed that would be you."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Something funny about that?"

Sasuke didn't reply to that. Before Naruto could speak again, Shikamaru pushed through the crowd and strode up to them. "That still doesn't explain why you're here, Uchiha. You're no friend of Konoha, so what do you want?" he demanded, a dark sneer on his face. He pinched his nearly finished cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, took a deep drag, and slowly blew the smoke in Sasuke's face. "Are you still obsessed with revenge?"

Shikamaru was clearly baiting him, wanting him to give them a reason—any reason—to put an end to him here and now. Sasuke flinched slightly as the smoke stung his eyes and choked his airways, but otherwise he didn't react. Nothing—it was the last thing any of them expected him to do. It wasn't what he would have done at any other time in the past.

It definitely wasn't cowardice, and it couldn't be caution. The only other thing it could be…was apathy.

The cloud of acrid smoke dissipated, and Sasuke finally explained himself. "I came to offer my help."

Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "What makes you think we need _your_ help? Or _want_ it."

"I'm sure you don't," he replied tonelessly. "But Danzou deserves to die, and I want to be part of that even if I'm not the one to kill him. I have no ulterior motive. No other goals."

Something about the way he said it struck Sakura as odd, as though by saying he had no other goals, he meant he had no other purpose, period. Looking at him now, his unkempt appearance, the way he smelled like he'd been drunk for a week, the way he was behaving so uncharacteristically, she could almost believe it.

Naruto seemed to pick up on it too. He stared intently at their once-teammate, their once-friend. His tone clearly reluctant, he spoke loud enough for all to hear, "The Fire Temple is a place of worship and sanctuary. It's not our place to deny him entry."

"We will defer to your judgment in this," said Hozo Inei from the inside edge of the crowd, drawing everyone's attention suddenly. No one had noticed him arrive.

Naruto regarded the abbot's successor for a moment, looking almost disappointed at having the decision placed on his shoulders. He turned back to Sasuke again. The conflict tearing him up inside showed plainly on his face.

Shikamaru leaned in close to Naruto and murmured, "One way or another, he can't leave now that he's found us here. Naruto…you know how he feels about Konoha. About _you_. Not to mention how everyone feels about _him_. Are you willing to risk it?"

Naruto shot him an unreadable glance. He looked back to Sasuke, who remained silent and still, staring blankly toward the ground. He took a slow, deep breath, as though steeling himself for something he really didn't want to do. At last he said, "He can stay. For now." He took a step closer to Sasuke, and in his eyes was a promise. "If for a second you even _think_ about acting against us, I _will_ know, and I will end you myself. If you're still arrogant enough to doubt it, I dare you to try."

Sasuke gave a barely perceptible nod, and said nothing. Naruto turned and stormed away, his anger and frustration nearly palpable. Sasuke's eyes did not follow him.

Shocked and angry murmurs wove through the crowd as it parted for their leader, but it never rose higher than a buzz. No one was happy about this, especially after what had happened with Karin. But no one was brave enough to confront Naruto in his current state.

Sakura could not stop staring at Sasuke, so changed was he from both the boy she remembered and the dark avenger he'd become. She felt Kakashi beside her, and subtly brushed against him, unsure whether she was offering reassurance or seeking it. Her feelings about this turn of events were as clouded and confused as Naruto's. Sasuke's sorry state was almost heartbreaking to the small part of her that grudgingly still cared. But at the same time she felt a sick sort of satisfaction at seeing him fallen so low, so desolate that he'd come begging at their doorstep. More than anything she just felt weary.

"Look at him, Kakashi," she murmured softly, shaking her head in sad disbelief.

"I'm looking," he returned just as quietly.

"Well, he's not… He's blind."

* * *

TBC


	18. The War Begins

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Eighteen: The War Begins

* * *

"You think that thing about the student surpassing the Master is ever really true?" Shizune wondered, eyes closed against the bright afternoon light.

Sakura laughed listlessly. "Only when they get old and arthritic."

After getting thoroughly schooled by Hozo Inei in a two-on-one spar just like old times, the bruised and exhausted kunoichi lay side by side in the grass just beyond the training yard, baking like lizards in the hot sun, too tired to move. A blanket of cloud was slowly rolling in from the coast to the south. The monks said a storm was coming, but it wasn't doing much to alleviate the midsummer heat; it only made it muggier.

"It's so peaceful and beautiful here," Sakura said, rolling onto her side and running her fingers through smooth blades of grass. Two bright orange butterflies hovered and danced with each other a few feet away. "It feels kind of wrong to use a temple as a war base."

"Master Shingen said the Fire Temple was originally a fortress, back in the day," Shizune replied. "You've seen the fortified walls and those gates. They weren't built for aesthetics."

"I know, but…I'd hate to see any damage done to this place."

"Then you'd better watch where you swing those fists when the fighting starts." Sakura swatted at her halfheartedly. She couldn't be bothered to dodge.

"When will that be, I wonder? Not that I'm eager for it. Just…"

Shizune sighed. "Yeah…"

The waiting was the worst. It had been two weeks since the last confrontation with Root. The days were hot, the rebels were idle and restless, and tensions rose higher with every passing day. Too much time before a coming battle gave soldiers too much time to think, to dwell on their fear, even to despair. They learned early in the Academy that fear was the most powerful weapon in existence, and if you can successfully deploy it against your enemy you have all but won. They had no way of knowing if Danzou was intentionally keeping them in limbo, but waiting around was indeed a kind of psychological warfare.

"How are things with Kakashi?" Shizune asked, looking over beneath the shield of her hand.

"Good," Sakura said, unable to fight her smile. "Really good."

"See? I told you not to write him off so quickly."

Sakura continued playing with a patch of clover and said nothing, sinking into her own little world of secret smiles and memories. Shizune returned to her micronap. It was several minutes before Sakura stretched out once again and asked, "How long 'til the meeting?"

Grudgingly, Shizune rolled over to access her watch inside her hip pouch, grunting as sore muscles strained. "An hour."

Groaning along with her, Sakura dragged herself into a sitting position. "I want to get cleaned up before then. The baths should be empty right now."

They meandered toward the bathhouse together. Since there were no female monks there was no female bathing facility, but the kunoichi had collectively commandeered the back washroom for themselves. However, they did try to avoid visiting at times when they were likely to run into the pious monks, who were easily embarrassed by unclothed mishaps.

After washing off they soaked in the cool-water pool to soothe their overheated bodies. Sakura dunked herself, then leaned back against the side of the pool and closed her eyes. She was worn out from more than the beating Master Inei had just given her. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately, but it was the good kind of tired, the kind you endured willingly.

Anxiety and uncertainty had permeated every hour of the day for over a week. Some people wanted to fight, and casual boxing matches had started springing up at random. Others found a different sort of physical outlet, and the nights were filled with impulsive and otherwise inexplicable hookups. It was human nature. The two things were the same in one crucial way: they made you feel alive.

Sakura was not immune, nor was Kakashi for all his cool composure. He'd come to her room the night Sasuke showed up, and had returned every night since. Sometimes they didn't even make it that long; they often sought each other out for a spontaneous tryst. Sometimes they didn't even make it back to the dorm, and would steal into storage rooms or unused buildings. It was reckless and irresponsible, but they just couldn't seem to stop themselves. It was exhilarating.

It could just be the stress of the situation they were in, but Sakura believed it was more than that. It was him. She was crazy about him. Never had she felt such fire before, such a strong physical need to be close to someone. When they were behind closed doors, they held nothing back. Sometimes their passion was almost violent in its intensity, as if they were desperately trying to prove something to themselves and to each other. _We're Alive. You're mine_.

It would have been a blissful existence, if not for the dark cloud of impending battle hanging over them all.

#

Only Naruto and Shikamaru were in the lecture hall when they got there. Sakura and Shizune joined them on the floor in the center of the room. The floor-to-ceiling window slats were all closed, and though the room was large, the lack of ventilation made it feel as stuffy as a closet. The stone walls of the temple buildings kept the interiors a few degrees cooler than outside, but it was still uncomfortable. There was no help for it; the command meeting couldn't be held outside for security reasons, no matter how much anyone grumbled.

"Where is everyone?" asked Shizune.

"Avoiding the inevitable, most likely," Shikamaru answered dryly. Though he'd been sitting idle for at least several minutes, sweat beaded on his brow. "Days like this are only good for napping."

"Says _you_," Shizune retorted. "I can barely sleep at _night_ in this heat, let alone in the middle of the day."

Naruto wiped the back of his neck. "I don't remember Konoha ever getting this hot."

"Konoha has air conditioned buildings, and we're in the middle of a jungle."

"The monks say these heat waves are typical this time of year," Sakura said. "Then the storms come and it cools into autumn."

"Well I wish the storms would hurry up," Naruto said. "Those clouds on the horizon have been teasing us for days."

Tenzou, Sai, Hanabi and Hinata arrived in the next few minutes, followed shortly by Naida and the female ANBU captain, Ruka. Everyone suspected they were sleeping together, but no one had been able to prove it. Sakura thought if they wanted to carry on a relationship in secret that was their business. If it was true they certainly were good at hiding it. However, she easily caught the way Naruto perked up when Hinata walked in, and the shy smile she gave him might as well have been a neon sign.

Several more minutes passed, and the heat was making them irritable. "Why am I not surprised _those two_ are late again," Shikamaru remarked crankily.

"Hey, don't lump Genma in with Kakashi," Shizune said defensively.

"Why not? He's clearly a bad influence on him."

"I resemble that remark," said Kakashi from the doorway.

As they entered Genma grinned and said, "You got it backwards, Shika-kun. I corrupted Kakashi twenty years ago."

"It's true," he said, shaking his head ruefully. "I was such a sweet kid, before." He caught Sakura's eye as he and Genma sat down across the circle, and the mischievous twinkle in his dark eye made her have to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"Let's get to it, then," Naruto said, sobering. "I was able to contact Shikaku and the insurgents. They told me all they could, but they don't have anyone who can get inside the way Hinata was. They're still up to no good, which is awesome. The operation at the banquet was a success: almost the entire council of geezers died within a week, except Danzou, Hyuuga Hiashi, and a couple others that the medics were able to save. Whether this has broken the backbone of Danzou's regime or if it just freed him up to act on his own remains to be seen. However, it did break the alliance with Hidden Fang. They were blamed for the poisoning, even though their own leader was dead too, and had to fight their way out of Konoha."

"We were hoping the incident would end the alliance completely," Hinata said. "But you're saying Hidden Moss stayed? Even though Morioka is dead?" She seemed to repress a small shiver at the mention of the sadistic Moss leader.

"Seems so. Danzou publically blamed Fang for that too, and covered up any evidence that a Konoha shinobi did it. A huge chunk of Danzou's strength is gone and now it looks like he's got a second war on his hands, which is great news for us." He grinned.

"For now," Kakashi said. "Until we take back Konoha and have to clean up yet another mess."

"That is true," Shikamaru said. "But it could also mean that most of Konoha's regular troops will be diverted to fight against Fang, while Root and Moss come against us. We won't have to fight against our comrades."

"Good point," said Naruto. "Let's hope so. But there's more from Shikaku. I was also able to get info about Neji and the Hyuuga clan." He looked to Hinata. "After what you said, the insurgents were watching him to see what he was up to. If what he told you was true, they were going to bring him in. If he was the one who told Danzou you escaped, they were going to take him out. But they'd only been watching him a couple days, when he was arrested."

Hinata breathed in sharply. Beside her, Hanabi leaned forward intently.

"It took a while for them to find out what happened. Apparently Danzou and Hiashi had been suspicious of Neji for months. Danzou suspected you too, Hinata, but he thought that Morioka was going to take care of you. The night you escaped it was _Neji_ Root was monitoring, not you."

"What's going to happen to him?" she asked worriedly.

"Nothing good. But Shikaku said they're gonna try and get him out as soon as possible. They've done jailbreaks before," he added reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be okay."

"And now for the good news," Shikamaru said, in a tone that warned it was anything but good. "Our scouts have spotted a small army moving toward the valley. Appears to be all Moss nin, no Root."

"Sai said it would take two to three weeks for Danzou to miss the Root platoon we took out," Hanabi said, frowning. "It's been two; how can an army march on us that quickly?"

"They could if they were already on stand-by," suggested Tenzou.

"Or if he already suspected we were here, and the missing platoon was just confirmation," Genma added.

"How could he suspect our location?" Shizune wanted to know. "We've only been here a month."

"Sasuke said he heard about us through rumors," said Sai. "Danzou has spies and informants everywhere. It's possible that he heard the same rumors."

"Or he was told," Naida said pointedly. He looked around the circle. "Hasn't anyone else thought of it? We take out a Root platoon and Uchiha Sasuke shows up out of thin air, right on their heels, begging to join us? He could be working with Danzou to get inside and take you out when your back is turned."

The last was directed at Naruto, but he brushed it off immediately. "I'm not worried about Sasuke attacking me," he said. "Especially not now. Anyway, there's no one in the world he hates more than Danzou. He would never join with him, that much I can guarantee."

Tenzou sighed and muttered, "The enemy of my enemy…"

"Could just be a different enemy," finished Ruka.

"We've discussed this before," Naruto said tersely. "I said he could stay and I'm not going back on my word."

Naida smiled. "You never gave your word for his safety once he was in."

Naruto shot him a daunting glare. "I'm not going to kill him, and neither is anyone else. Try it if you're dumb enough, and _if_ you survive, you'll have to deal with _me_ next."

Ruka scoffed. "He might have been formidable once, but now he's just a blind drunk. And _you're_ a blind fool for trusting him."

"Watch it," Sakura snapped in warning. "You have no idea what you're talking about." Ruka glared back at her, unmoved.

Naruto stared both of the ANBU down. "I _don't_ trust him. But that's not the issue here. The issue is that you don't trust _me_. _My_ judgment call."

Ruka looked away, her jaw clenched. Naida sighed and tried to explain. "That's not how it is. We're just concerned that your judgment might be clouded in this. You're too close to him—"

"You think so?" he cut in angrily. "You think I would really endanger the lives of everyone here? You think I would put _him_ before any of you? Jeopardize everything we're fighting for because I can't see him for what he is? I see him better than any of you."

Only Naruto's teammates knew how sore a subject this really was for him. Kakashi calmly interjected before it got worse. "His blindness means nothing, Ruka," he said, taking a step back in the argument. "Underestimating him even now would probably be the last mistake you ever made."

"The Sharingan was what made him powerful," she said dismissively. "Without it he's just a cocky asshole who never passed his chuunin exam."

"Enough of this," Shikamaru snapped. "We have bigger problems to deal with, and they're about to knock on our front door. Squabbling over Uchiha Sasuke is really fucking pointless right now."

Silence filled the hall as everyone took a moment to calm down and refocus. After a moment Sakura turned to Shikamaru. "You said a small army. "How many?"

"The scouts estimated around a hundred and fifty. Danzou had to have realized that the Fire Temple couldn't hold a very large force, so he knows if we're here our number is fairly low. That's my guess as to why he sent such a small force."

"Just enough to make us worry…" said Tenzou.

"It's not even two to one," countered Genma. "I'd say those are decent odds."

"The odds would be even better if we just waited it out in here," Hanabi said. "We could pick them off from the walls and take almost no casualties."

"No casualties from battle wounds, you mean," Shikamaru said. "We don't have the resources to endure a siege for long. What will happen when they discover the irrigation canal and poison or cut off our water supply? How will we get food? Sieges are nasty business. In a matter of days we'd be dying off without the enemy having to lift a finger."

"On top of all that," Kakashi said, "reinforcements would continue to come. Eventually we'd be hopelessly outnumbered."

"Exactly," said Naida. "When they get here we have to engage. I know everyone in this temple would rather die in battle than slowly starve and rot."

"We can't lock ourselves away," Naruto said with a tone of finality. "We're _done_ hiding. We have to _fight_ this war if we want to win it. How long until they reach us?"

"Three to five days," Shikamaru answered grimly. "We should assume that a vanguard may come sooner. It's not a lot of time to prepare."

Naruto sighed, and nodded. "Then let's get to work on a plan."

* * *

Sakura collapsed on top of Kakashi, feeling his rapid heartbeat thumping against her own. His hands were heavy on her hips, and his exerted breaths moistened her shoulder. She was far too hot and sweaty to linger long; she pressed her lips to his prickly jaw and moved away, flopping down next to him.

"If I die of heatstroke make sure I'm not naked when they find me," she laughed breathlessly.

"I'm more likely to die than you are," he returned. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Too old for _sex_?"

"Too old for sex in hundred-plus degree weather."

"You're not _that_ old…" She grinned slyly. "You're what, thirty-nine?"

The look he gave her was priceless. "Thirty-_two_, thank you." He turned on his side and inched closer, traced his fingers up her arm, his thumb caressing her shoulder. "And you know what they say about older men…"

"What do they say?"

Kakashi grinned unevenly, and laughed. "I don't know."

Her heart did a little flip at that smile. He was always handsome, but when he allowed himself a full, unguarded smile… She reached up and softly touched his face, the scar on his chin, and finally his mouth. His lips were soft beneath her fingertips, contrasting the roughness of his unshaven jaw. They parted slightly under her touch, and Sakura smiled. He had the sexiest lips, it was a shame he covered them up all the time. Then again, maybe it was a good thing; this way they were only for her.

"I know what they say," she said, leaning in until their faces were only inches apart. "They say older men are more experienced and always make sure to please their partners."

Kakashi smirked. "And is it true?"

She inched closer, murmured "Definitely," and pressed her lips to his.

Fire flared between them again, and Sakura thought the kiss would continue into more, but Kakashi broke away, looked at her with perfect seriousness, and said, "So exactly how many older men have you been with?"

Sakura gave his shoulder a playful shove. "Just you, you old pervert."

He nodded solemnly. "Well I am rather impressive, it's true."

She laughed and shoved him again. "Shut up."

"Ow," he groaned through a laugh, rubbing his shoulder.

Sakura knew she hadn't hit him that hard. "Is it still bothering you from yesterday?"

"A little."

She sat up halfway and reached for him. "Let me look at it. Turn over, on your stomach." He did as she asked, and she straddled his waist and began to massage his shoulder and deltoid, applying a bit of chakra to her fingertips. He had a strained muscle, nothing serious. "This is what you get for sparring with Naruto," she chastised lightly.

"I felt bad when he asked me," he mumbled into the pillow. "Nobody else will spar with him."

"Because he's a _beast_," she chuckled. "Not because he's unpopular."

"Even beasts need to keep up their basic taijutsu. Maybe _you_ should spar with him; at least he's afraid of getting hit by you in return."

"If it's a challenge he wants, we should probably make it a team effort. All three of us against him."

Kakashi _hmm_ed in reply, his eyes closed in enjoyment of her practiced ministrations, and they fell quiet for a while.

They had the entire day together, an unprecedented treat. It was Shizune's turn to attend the clinic, leaving Sakura with a full day off, and Kakashi was going out on patrol at sunset and had the entire day to rest. So maybe he wasn't _resting_, but it was what he wanted to be doing. It was the first time they'd had more than an hour or two together in weeks (not counting the nights they sacrificed sleep) and they intended to make the most of it.

Sakura had also decided to use this opportunity to talk to him about something that needed to be out in the open between them. She'd debated with herself all day yesterday, knowing that he might get angry, and that it could potentially ruin a lot more than their day. But the longer she waited to tell him the more upset he would be. Right now he was relaxed and happy, with nothing on his mind. She probably wouldn't get a better chance.

"Kakashi…" she began quietly. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you. I don't want you to find out later and be angry with me."

Kakashi was silent and very still. He was a master at controlling his reactions, and she could only feel the tension rise in him because the muscles in his back were pressed against her thighs.

She took a deep breath. "That night when I stayed in your apartment…you knew it was because I didn't want to go home. The truth is I had just come from Naruto's place, and I was really upset. I thought he might come after me…and I was avoiding him."

A long moment of silence passed, and then Kakashi very quietly said, "…Ah."

With that single monosyllable, Sakura knew he understood her perfectly. "It was a mistake," she continued quickly. "One we both regretted immediately. We were just so devastated after what happened with Sasuke and…" She trailed off, beyond grateful that he couldn't see her face.

"I get it," he said, after another weighted pause. He turned his head to the side so he could be heard, but he gazed at the wall, not at her. "It's more common than you might think among shinobi. Among soldiers of any kind, actually. Turning to each other for comfort after a brush with death or a particularly traumatic experience. I'm sure you've noticed it happening around here the past few weeks."

Was that what he was doing with her? Was this just an outlet for comfort and stress relief? No, she told herself. Kakashi hated complicated entanglements. If that was all he wanted he would do it with someone who wasn't close to him. That, she could be sure of. Still…he was being awfully logical about it, and that almost worried her more than a reaction of anger would.

"Maybe we were lucky," she said pensively. "Two days later we were running for our lives in different directions. We had two years to move past what happened without being in each other's faces every day." Her hands had stopped moving, but still rested lightly on his shoulder blades. She focused on them as she continued. "We talked about it when I first joined up with you again, and everything is fine now. Really. He's half in love with Hinata even though they're not together yet, and I…" Her fingertips brushed lightly across his shoulder, and a tentative smile graced her lips. "I have you."

Another long, long silence. It took her all of two minutes to explain what it had taken her two years of angst and resentment to conclude for herself, and now every second was an eternity as she waited for him to say something, to react in some way. His composure was maddening.

Finally he shifted under her. Her heart sinking, Sakura moved to get off him, but he set a hand on her thigh to keep her in place. He turned over beneath her, looked up at her with calm curiosity. "And you told me now so that if I ever found out another way, I wouldn't think you still had feelings for him." It wasn't a question.

Sakura nodded. "I felt you should know, since you're close to both of us. There shouldn't be secrets like that between us." She reached for his hands on her thighs and held them, interlacing their fingers. "I don't have feelings for him. I never did, and that was the problem. Kakashi…you're all I can think about. Even when I'm mad at you. It's kind of ridiculous."

"Ridiculous," he repeated flatly. "Nice to know how you really feel." His face was serious, but there was amusement in his mismatched eyes.

Sakura leaned in close, smiling. "I don't mean _you're_ ridiculous."

He let go of her hands and grabbed her head, pulled her down for a kiss. She was the one to break it, but only because she had to know, "It doesn't bother you?"

"That you've had other lovers before me?" he murmured distractedly, busy placing tantalizing kisses along the side of her neck. "Of course not."

Sakura was thrilled that he wasn't angry, but confused as to why. She'd expected the worst, but it was like he didn't even care. "I meant because—"

Kakashi stopped his attentions and looked at her directly. "Sakura, whose bed are you in?"

"Yours…"

He nodded. "And I'm not letting you out of it any time soon."

She was with him now, and that seemed to be the only assurance he needed. He wasn't interested in making a big deal out of something that was really nothing, and Sakura would gladly accept that. He returned to what he was doing before, and within moments she lost interest in the discussion as well. His hands began to move over her body, and because she was still straddling him she had no doubt of his intentions. She pressed herself flush against him and caught his earlobe between her teeth. "What happened to being too old?" she murmured silkily.

The next thing she knew she was being flipped onto her back. His hips settled between her thighs like they were always meant to be there, and he growled, "I'll show you old."

Sakura laughed, and that laugh soon evolved into sighs and moans. There was no more talking after that, because Hatake Kakashi was a man who liked to keep his word.

#

Her stomach woke her late that night. After Kakashi left at dusk for his patrol, she'd caught up on some much needed sleep. Now she was starving. She dressed and left Kakashi's room, making sure no one saw her, and headed to the kitchens hoping there was something left to eat.

She managed to scrounge up some cold soba noodles, a salad of mixed fruits, and a pitcher of iced green tea. Not wanting to eat alone in the dark silent dining area, she carried her meal out to one of the stone benches in the gardens. The cicadas, frogs and other nocturnal jungle life were as noisy as ever, but she had come to enjoy the cacophonous music, and it no longer kept her up at night.

After eating she walked aimlessly around the temple complex, enjoying the night air. It was darker than usual tonight, and cooler, and the sky which always shone so brightly with stars was now obscured from view. The clouds had finally rolled in above them; the storm was about to break. She wondered if there would be thunder and lightning. She loved thunderstorms. Even better if she could cuddle up in bed with Kakashi when it came, and they could listen to the sky rumble above them together.

Her musings were cut short when she entered one of the training yards and spotted a dark figure off to the side. Her good mood instantly soured. She knew even from this distance in the poor light that it was Sasuke. He was seated cross-legged on a raised stone platform, and appeared to be meditating.

She hadn't caught sight of him in days. He kept to himself, and that suited everyone. Sasuke had been put in one of the half empty billets, in the backmost room farthest away from everyone. No one wanted to be near him. There were rumors that strange noises came from his room at night, murmurs and moans like he was either talking to himself, or having nightmares. Sakura didn't know how true that might be, didn't want to know. He certainly didn't look crazy right now, but he was no raving lunatic. His madness was of the far more dangerous kind.

The night Sasuke arrived, Sakura and Kakashi had gone looking for Naruto shortly after he stormed off. They found him in his room, sitting at the edge of his bed, just staring at the floor. Sakura sat down next to him without speaking, and just held his hand. No one could know how hard it was for Naruto to let Sasuke inside those gates, and how equally impossible it would have been to turn him away. The shinobi who followed him without question couldn't be allowed to see how Sasuke being here had torn him up inside, and how uncertain he really was. It was a while before he was able to put his thoughts and feelings into words, and when he finally did, all he said was, "It's our last chance. I couldn't _not_ take it."

Kakashi took a harder position, and had said as much to her in private later that night. He didn't hate Sasuke, and would probably offer his support if Sasuke _asked_ for help, but his love and loyalty went to Sakura and Naruto, and they had both been hurt by him numerous times. He wouldn't tolerate Sasuke inflicting any more damage on the people he cared about most. If it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate to take him out.

Sakura's feelings were somewhere in between. Just the mention of Sasuke's name was enough to make her anger rise. He'd tried to kill her and just about everyone she loved. But when she thought about it honestly, she had to admit that most of her fury was directed at circumstance. How had it come to be like this? How had Sasuke gone so far from them, how had they lost him so completely? It all made her terribly sad. But her tears for Sasuke had dried up long ago, replaced by resentment, a deep bitterness borne of betrayal and fueled by grief.

So she didn't quite know why she started walking toward him. She didn't know what was left to say that hadn't already been said, screamed and wailed. She supposed she just wanted him to know where he stood with her, to know that she was not the same person as when they last spoke. He didn't move a muscle when she silently drew up to him, but she knew he was aware of her. The only light came from a torch a few yards away, but even in the dark he looked haggard, weary, completely devoid of that spark that had always made him so remarkable. Like all the fire inside him had burned out, leaving him hollow. At least he didn't smell like week-old sake anymore.

"Sakura," he said, eyes still closed. "I wondered when you would finally come to chat."

She wished he could see the look she gave him. "Are you not as high on my list of priorities as you thought you were? Sorry."

Sasuke's only response was to slowly open his eyes. Those sightless onyx depths glinted dully in the weak light.

"How did you lose your sight?" she asked, though she hadn't meant to. He was just so different…it was impossible not to wonder how he'd gotten this way.

"The same way all Uchihas lose their eyesight," he said tonelessly. "I had a chance to save them, but I refused."

"Why?"

He didn't answer her question. After a long silence he said, "Last time we met, you tried to kill me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "And _you_ tried to kill _me_."

His dark gaze settled on her. He had an uncanny way of looking right at a person even though he couldn't actually see them. Maybe he could still make out the aura of living organisms, the outline of their chakra. Whatever it was, it was a little creepy.

"I shouldn't have," he said. "There was no reason for it."

Trust Sasuke to admit a mistake without being the least bit apologetic. Indignation flared within her. "Why?" she snapped. "Because I was no threat to you?"

"At that time, no," he replied, unresponsive to her outrage. "Your heart wasn't committed to it."

Sakura took a small step closer. "I wouldn't make that mistake again."

He looked away, eyes staring at nothing once again. "I believe you."

Sakura glared at him fiercely, at a loss for words. She didn't know how to deal with this Sasuke. He was so empty; not a hint of annoyance, or arrogance, or cynicism. Not even the unhinged rage that had covered him like armor for so long. It was like a different person sat here before her, a sad, broken old man in a young man's body. But it _was_ Sasuke, and she wouldn't forget that no matter how pathetic he'd become.

"Believe this as well," she said at last. "I don't know why you're really here, but if you try to go against us in _any_ way…you'd better hope Naruto finds you before I do." She turned on her heel, but she'd only gone a few steps when Sasuke spoke up behind her.

"It was never you I was against…" he said quietly, and for the first time there was some small flicker of emotion in his voice. "You and Naruto were never my enemies…"

Sakura turned around. "No," she replied, "we were just in the way." She shook her head, hating how sad she sounded. "That's even worse."

#

She left him there, walking quickly back toward the billets. Damn him! She'd known going in that talking to him would upset her, but _that_ was something else entirely. She didn't know whether to cry or put her fist through a wall. Thankfully she did neither.

As she crossed the open courtyard she felt the first drops of rain on her face, and a quiet wave of thunder rumbled in the distance. By the time she reached her building it was coming down steadily. She crept along the walkway, not wanting to wake anyone, but before she was even halfway to her room, her door opened and Kakashi came out of it, spotted her, and hurried toward her.

"There you are," he said just above a whisper. Then he saw her face. "Are you alright?"

Sakura wondered what she could possibly look like to take him aback so. She leaned into his touch, held onto his wrist as he cupped her cheek. "Yeah," she replied. "I just talked to Sasuke."

His expression darkened. "What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." She slipped her arms around his waist and held him for a moment, closing her eyes as his arms came around her, strong and reassuring. Then she pulled back and looked up at him, confused. "Why are you here? I thought you were on patrol until morning."

"We caught a scout," he said. "We brought him back just a few minutes ago, and they're about to interrogate him. I alerted the other patrols to be on the lookout, but Anko's team isn't responding on radio. Something is wrong. Naruto's recalled everyone back inside the temple walls."

"You think the enemy's that close already?" she wondered anxiously. "They were only spotted yesterday and Shikamaru said they were days away..."

"It may just be a few scouts, but—"

He was cut off as the clang of a gong echoed loudly across the temple grounds. Then another clang, and another, and another…a steady, urgent cry through the night.

Their eyes met in dire understanding. Inside the rooms, alarmed voices rose up amid thumps and rustles and the clanking of steel as the rebels woke and mustered for battle. Doors slammed open upstairs, shouts rang out, and running footsteps reverberated through the ceiling. More doors flew open behind them and people came running out, rushing past them on the walkway or simply vaulting over the balustrade and sprinting away.

Sakura was armed already, having learned that lesson before. With a final shared look between them that conveyed more than a few rushed words ever could, she and Kakashi turned and ran with the crowd toward the gates.

* * *

The aftermath of battle was nightmarishly grisly, and to Sakura, the sudden unnatural silence that followed was more frightening than the clamor of the fight. Somewhere not too far off, she could hear crying. Quiet sobbing. Male or female…she couldn't tell. The heavy rain and humidity had caused a thick hot fog to rise, obscuring vision and muting sound. Shadows and voices appeared in the mist and then faded. Shiko trotted beside her, silent as a ghost.

There were bodies everywhere, forming suddenly as they entered her range of visibility. Most were enemies, anonymous ninja from Moss. But there were also comrades, men and women she knew by name, people she'd spent every day with for months and some she'd known for years. People she liked, and disliked. People she'd seen around every day but never bothered to get to know, and now never would.

The rain was still pouring down. Sakura paused at each Konoha shinobi she came upon, checking for signs of life, finding none. She wanted to scream, wanted to run from all of this and tell herself it wasn't real. But she was needed, now more than ever. She had to be strong. The night Konoha fell she'd had no choice but to run away from the carnage. Now there could be no turning away. She had to face it head on.

A figure burst out of the mist and collided with her. Chakra surged into her fist, and he raised a kunai threateningly, but they quickly recognized each other as friendlies and stood down. He mumbled a hasty apology and disappeared back into the mist. Heart racing from the surprise encounter, Sakura continued her search. The night was growing lighter as dawn approached, and the fierce victory cry that reverberated through the forest moments before everything went still told her they had won the battle.

And soon, when the fog cleared and the bodies were counted, they would learn at what cost.

Sakura stumbled over a root that suddenly rose up to trip her. Then the root groaned, and she realized it was a leg. She knelt down beside the injured shinobi and checked him over. There was a gash on his head as long as her finger, and she was amazed he was conscious. She recognized him; his name was Raki, one of the few chuunin who'd survived long enough to join the rebels. Then she vaguely recalled that he'd actually escaped Konoha with Naruto.

"I think I need help…" he mumbled faintly.

"Shh. I'm taking you back," she told him, slipping her arms beneath his to lift him up.

He looked up at her in a daze. "Your head is bleeding…are you alright?"

That was rich coming from a man who'd nearly been scalped. Sakura was fairly certain she had a mild concussion, and her leg had been sliced from shin to knee, but she could still function. "Better than you," she grunted, hoisting him up and supporting him as they walked. The mist was disorienting, and she had no idea if she was going the right way. She began to worry she might not be able to find her way back to the temple, and so she set the injured man down and started to work on him right there.

A few minutes later, the air suddenly filled with a high-pitched whirling sound. She immediately recognized the noise as Naruto's rasen-shuriken, and a spike of alarm shot through her. Were there still enemies around? Had the fighting started again? Then slowly the mist began to clear, blown away by the immensely powerful jutsu. The sound faded, and she could see around her again. It would creep back again soon, for as long as the rain continued. She needed to hurry.

"I think I can make it back on my own," Raki said.

She looked him over again, checked his much-reduced wound. "Follow my finger," she instructed, waving it back and forth before his face. His eyes followed without much difficulty, so she determined he could make it the short distance. "Go to the courtyard just inside the gates and wait. And try to stay awake."

Sakura limped back toward the eerily quiet battle site. She saw nothing but enemy nin at first, but then she entered a small clearing and came upon a gruesome scene. At least a dozen corpses lay there, fallen in a loose circle. And at the center of that circle was the big monk Benkei, his white robes stained red by multiple wounds, his dark eyes gazing lifelessly toward the sky. He had been so kind to her, so cheerful, always telling lewd jokes. Tonight the formidable warrior had fought until his last breath and taken every one of his enemies down with him.

Filled with sadness, she knelt beside him and carefully closed his staring eyes. "Goodbye," she whispered. Then she continued on.

A few moments later she heard her name being called and stopped, looked around. Someone must have spotted her, perhaps by her hair, but she didn't see them…

"Sakura! Sakura, over here!"

It was Tenten, and she sounded panicked. Sakura ran toward the sound of her voice and spotted her soon enough. Hinata was with her, hands glowing faintly with chakra as they both crouched over a motionless body. A second later she realized it was Lee. He was so badly injured and bloody that she barely recognized him. She fell to her knees beside them, chakra already flooded to her hands.

"I can't do enough," Hinata said, her quiet voice filled with worry. "I'm—"

"It's okay," Sakura said. "Keep going. I'm going to need your help."

They worked furiously, Hinata working on slowing the bleeding while Sakura closed the wound. Lee was in shock from severe blood loss and there was a hole in his side as big as her fist.

Tenten helplessly wrung her bloodstained hands and tried her best not to cry. "Idiot…" she mumbled to no one. "Always trying to be the hero. I'm going to kick his ass for this…"

Sakura wanted to tell her that her teammate would be okay, but she wasn't going to lie. It was bad. Unknown minutes passed, until finally he was stable enough to move. "Okay," she said. "Let's get him back."

Tenten and Hinata carried him while Sakura paced them and continued to heal as they moved. The massive gates had been opened now that the battle was over, and when they got there they saw that the badly injured were being carried back by their comrades, many of whom were only slightly less injured themselves. Sakura felt a sudden twinge of panic when she saw how many there were…and only three medics, one of them not fully trained.

She turned to Shiko, still silent by her side. The young ninken was overwhelmed by the sights and smells of battle and death, but she wouldn't leave until her master no longer needed her. "Find Naruto," Sakura told her. "Tell him I need everyone with even basic medical knowledge who can still stand up to get over here _right now_."

Shiko bounded away. Sakura returned to healing Lee. "I can handle this now," she told Hinata. "See if Shizune needs you, and if not then try to tend to those with minor injuries." Hinata nodded and hurried toward Shizune across the courtyard.

A few minutes later she stopped and said to Tenten, "He's stabilized. I have to tend to the others. Keep an eye on him, and find me if anything changes for the worse." Without waiting for a reply, she left them and went to find the next critical patient.

Normally, the medics would have set up a triage before the battle, and runners would be employed to carry back the wounded during the fight. But this situation was far from normal. There had been no time to set up anything. There were no runners to be had. The wounded couldn't be brought back until the fighting was over, and by then many of them were in critical condition and nearly beyond saving. Not to mention those who died in the meantime.

Four years ago, when Konoha was nearly destroyed by Pein, the devastation had been unexpected, but the events that followed had been organized and controlled. Sakura had been in her hospital which she knew inside out, with all the equipment and assistance she needed. People knew where to go, what to do. It had been nothing like this.

This was chaos.

And now the medics found themselves having to make difficult choices and do things they would normally never do. It soon became painfully clear that they couldn't possibly save everyone. They couldn't be everywhere at once. If they tried to help the one who'd nearly bled out, then the one with the sucking chest wound who might still be saved would die. It was every healer's worst nightmare. They had to make the call.

Letting someone die…it went against every instinct Sakura possessed. Hours slipped by unnoticed, and she worked relentlessly to save everyone she could. It still wasn't enough. Several of her comrades died under her hands in those early hours of morning. Others she turned away from in anguish, abandoning them to fate, knowing there was nothing she could do. Every time, it felt like she was killing them herself. Somewhere in her mind she knew better, but logic and reason and everything sane about this night had fled hours ago.

With shaking hands, she closed the empty eyes of another lost comrade and moved on to the next.

* * *

Hinata sat hunched over on a stone bench at the edge of the courtyard, her head in her hands. It was late in the afternoon, and things were finally stable enough that the medics could stop. The patients who could move had all gone to their rooms for rest, and now only the handful of critical cases that had survived the morning were left in the courtyard, laid out inside a large field tent that had been carefully erected around them.

No one else was in danger of dying today. Not that it made them feel any better. Thirty-eight shinobi and five monks had died, several while the medics tried in vain to save them.

Sakura and Shizune were gone now. On the verge of collapse, they'd been ordered to desist and see to their own care. Sakura was the worse off; she'd merely bandaged the huge cut on her leg and then ignored it, and had been so weak she was barely conscious when Naruto forced her to stop. Hinata had done what she could for her, because Sakura's own chakra was gone. She was badly shaken by the whole ordeal, and after her leg was re-bandaged she'd simply wandered off without a word.

Hinata had gone through something similar in the aftermath of Danzou's coup. She was honestly surprised she was so calm now. Maybe she was in shock, and it would catch up to her later. Maybe it was just slightly less traumatizing the second time. It was a horrible thought.

Right now she could barely stand upright, and only for short periods. She really should rest. She knew Sakura and Shizune would sleep for a few hours and then they would be right back at it again no matter what anyone said, and she would be there to help them.

She raised her aching head and looked around. The rain was still coming down, but she had stopped noticing it a long time ago. She saw Sasuke across the way, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. He had fought with them, to everyone's surprise, and just as Kakashi had said in the meeting the other day, his blindness made him no less lethal. He hadn't spoken to anyone before or after. Now he stood apart from everyone once again, distant and withdrawn.

At the other end of the courtyard was a much sadder sight. Anko's patrol team had been found. Tenzou was kneeling beside Anko now, holding her lifeless hand in his. Hinata hadn't known either of them very well, but she understood what she was seeing, and she was saddened for them.

The report of what happened had finally gone around. The scout Kakashi's patrol caught was part of a mover team sent to set up jump coordinates. They scattered when they caught wind of the Leaf rebels, but not before they'd successfully set up the seals and activated them. Just before midnight the enemy force had teleported into the forest, practically on top of them. Anko's team was found at the jump site, apparently having discovered it moments beforehand, and had been caught by the enemy. Naruto had sensed the sudden spike in energy, and had raised the alarm. All the plans they'd been making had gone out the window, useless in the unexpected assault. The rest was a frenzied blur of jutsu and clashing steel.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto coming her way. She stood wearily and faced him, suddenly feeling a small twinge of anxiety. His stride was purposeful and his shoulders were set, and the look on his face was so intense she thought he was angry and wondered what she'd done.

Naruto came right up to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and bent his head and kissed her.

For a moment Hinata was too shocked to move. Then her eyes slid closed, her lips parted, and she kissed him back with fifteen years' worth of repressed feelings. His hand cupped the back of her neck, his fingertips winding into her soaked hair. The heat of his mouth on hers, of his breath against her rain-chilled face, was so overwhelming to her already frazzled state that she feared her knees might give.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Life's too unpredictable to play games and hold ourselves back," he murmured, and in his tone she could hear all the anguish of the last several hours. Then his lips curled in the faintest of smiles. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

She gazed up at him, at his hair dark with water and his eyes dark with sorrow. "Not as long as I have," she replied, and slipped her arms around his neck as she rose on her toes to kiss him again. She wouldn't have thought she could be so bold, but after what she'd just been through, nothing would ever be too scary again.

* * *

Kakashi went looking for Sakura when he realized he hadn't seen her for hours, and neither had anyone else. He'd checked in on her once at the improvised triage—he'd had to see her with his own eyes, just for a moment, to know she was okay—but then he'd been drawn away by other duties. After visiting her room and then his with no luck, he returned to the courtyard but she wasn't there either. Naruto told him how he'd had to force her to stop before she killed herself, which didn't surprise either of them, but when Naruto said that had been hours ago, they both grew worried.

He checked the small building the medics used as a clinic, but still no luck. He grew more worried. She was injured, weakened, and obviously upset…if she'd gone off somewhere random she might be in worse shape than he feared.

It was Shiko who found _him_. The ninken hurried up to him as he was leaving the clinic. "Sakura's not okay," she said anxiously.

"Is she hurt?" he demanded, quickly following her back the way she'd come.

"Not that. She's—you will see."

She led him to the bathhouse. Inside was silent and empty. They passed rows of empty tubs and basins, past the soaking pools that fed in from the springs, all the way to the back. Sakura was in the very last pool, sitting still as a statue on the submerged bench, her knees drawn up under her chin. She didn't acknowledge his presence as he knelt down next to her and smoothed his hand over her damp hair and down across her shoulders. Her skin was cool and clammy; the water had long since gone cold, but she didn't seem to notice or care.

"Sakura," he said softly. She blinked and breathed in at the sound of his voice, which was something at least. He shifted so that he could face her more fully. Dried tear tracks marked her face, but her expression was a blank mask, her eyes staring at nothing.

Kakashi still vividly remembered his first real battle, and he knew what she was going through now, at least in part. He'd heard about what she'd had to do at the triage. He couldn't even imagine being faced with such a decision. Sakura was such a compassionate person, and knowing it was the right course of action wouldn't make it any easier to do.

"Hey," he tried again, gently taking hold of her shoulders. "Why don't you come out of there. Come get some sleep." Sakura responded with the tiniest shake of her head. He tried a different tactic. "Please…_I_ need some sleep, and I'd feel better if you were with me."

Sakura lifted her pruned hands out of the water, palms up, and murmured, "I can't get the blood off…"

She wasn't exaggerating; small splotches of pink stained the skin of her hands and forearms. When he saw her earlier her arms had been red to the elbows, and blood had been on her clothing and even her face. It was a gruesome battle and the injuries sustained were severe. She had been immersed in that horror for nearly twelve hours straight. It was unacceptable, but it was also unavoidable with only three medics. Something would have to be done to make sure she never went through that again.

"Come on," he said patiently, lifting her himself until she put her own effort into it and slowly stood up. He helped her out of the pool, then grabbed a towel off the bench and wrapped it around her. Sakura just stood there, so he patted her dry himself, then helped her into her robe which lay bunched up beside the towel. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen, so he assumed she'd come here in the robe. She tied the belt herself, finally seeming to come around a little. He pulled her long hair from beneath her collar and laid it across her back, brushed his fingers into the tangled, half-dry strands, tucking it behind her ears. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her, held her to him for a moment before he bent and picked her up.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder. "You were right," she whispered.

He didn't ask her what she meant, instead he looked at Shiko and told her, "You can go back now, Sakura will be alright."

The ninken hesitated, cocked her head in appraisal of him. "You take care of her?"

"I will," he promised.

"You better." With that, she disappeared.

Kakashi carried Sakura back to her room and laid her in bed. She watched him silently as he stripped down to his pants, and he felt reassured by her focus and attention. She was here in the moment, and no longer in that dark place. He crawled into bed beside her, and she curled up against him.

"You were right," she said again. He made a soft sound of curiosity, and she explained in a voice barely above a whisper. "When you told me I had no idea what was coming…I thought you were just being condescending. Invalidating my own experiences. But you were right. I'd never seen real war…it's so much worse…" She took a shaky breath. "_Nothing_ can prepare you for that…"

He didn't reply. False assurances wouldn't make it any better. He just pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, and held her until she finally fell asleep.

Kakashi wasn't surprised when she woke him sometime in the night with urgent kisses and insistent hands. She needed the escape, that brief moment of perfect, mindless bliss. But he was surprised to find, when her body molded to his and her legs locked around his waist, that he needed it as much as she did, needed to lose himself in her and the communion of their joined bodies.

And after, as she clung to him and her hot tears fell against his chest, he felt a strange tightness inside that had little to do with the war and everything to do with how she made him feel. The way she looked at him with such complete openness, trusting him to give her what she needed, the way she gave everything to him in return, holding nothing back.

She relied on him to give her strength, to be there for her and keep her from losing herself in the fog of war. The days to come would only be filled with more death and destruction. If he were to die, what would happen to her? If _she_ were to die, how would he… He didn't even want to imagine that outcome.

The strength of faith she had in him was a heavy responsibility to bear. They had become deeply attached in the last few months, and it felt good, and he wanted it. But such intimacy demanded a certain honesty from them both, and while her nature allowed her to give it freely, for him it was more of a struggle. He didn't know if he could be someone else's rock, nor did he feel entirely comfortable in becoming emotionally dependent on another. Deep down inside, he feared he wouldn't be able to live up to the expectation of being what she needed him to be.

No matter what he did, he feared he would let her down, perhaps in the most devastating and permanent way.

* * *

When they woke late the next morning it was still raining. Even in full daylight there was darkness around them, a heavy sorrow they could almost reach out and feel. They could see it in the faces of everyone they passed. The memorial service was held at noon, and a somber Naruto wore a strong face for his people and gave his second ever funeral oration. Sadly, they knew it was far from his last.

As Naruto spoke the names of those they had lost and lauded their bravery and sacrifice, Sakura reached for Kakashi's hand, seeking strength in his presence, his solid realness beside her. His hand moved within hers and she thought he would pull away, uncomfortable with the public display. Instead he laced his fingers with hers and gently squeezed.

No one paid attention to them anyway. The rebel shinobi of Konoha stood in ranks, the injured leaning on their comrades for support, mourning silently, staring at the ground or straight ahead as the rain poured down on them all.

* * *

TBC


	19. The Weight of Regret

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Nineteen: The Weight of Regret

* * *

"Thirty eight," said Shikamaru, looking around the circle at the rest of the command council. "Thirty eight of us, and five monks. That's almost twenty percent of our number lost in a single battle, against only a fraction of the enemy's total strength. The Moss nins were wiped out; if any escaped it could only have been a few. But they were average footsoldiers, sent to test our strength. Next time it will be worse. I think it's clear that we need help."

"You're right, and it's not just fighting strength we need," Sakura said. "Three medics can't handle this many people. Not in a war." Everything about her was listless; her voice was tired and her normally vibrant eyes were flat and dull. Shizune and Hinata looked much the same.

"And Hinata isn't fully trained," added Shizune. "Sakura and I will teach her as much as we can, but it takes years to become fully qualified. Somehow, we need to find more medics. Even civilian doctors will work. Just _something_…"

"I agree," said Kakashi. "What our medics went through after the battle was unacceptable. We can't ask them to do it again."

Shikamaru nodded. "They could overstrain and injure themselves, leaving us without any medics. Not to mention the potential psychological ramifications."

"So we all agree," Naruto said. "We need more medics, more fighters, more weapons and supplies. More everything." He looked around the circle of his closest friends and advisors. "I want to contact Suna."

No one dissented. Contacting the powerful Hidden Sand – part of the Joint Shinobi Alliance – had now become an acceptable risk. They were in a bad situation that was only going to get worse, and desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I can't send my toads into that climate," he continued, "so it will have to be a human messenger. Tenzou, I'd like you to go. You can move with the most stealth, and Gaara knows you."

Tenzou accepted his mission with a nod. "I guess the worst that could happen is the Kazekage is forced to turn us down."

"Gaara is my friend," Naruto said. "He'll find a way to help us, I know it."

"I hope you're right," said Shikamaru. "We could sure use some good news around here."

"Actually," Genma said, "We have some. It won't help the war effort…but it may lighten some spirits." He looked at Shizune next to him, and a wide grin spread across his face.

She wore one to match, and a pink tinge colored her cheeks as she looked around the circle. "We want to get married."

"You're _engaged_?" Naruto exclaimed. "When did that happen?"

"This morning."

"Congratulations!" Sakura said, and was quickly echoed by the others. "When will you do it?"

Genma shrugged. "As soon as possible, if the abbot agrees to perform the ceremony."

"Well you can't just have a quick thing where you say a few words and it's done," Naruto said. "You gotta have a real wedding, _and_ a reception!"

Shizune and Genma looked at each other, bemused. "How are we supposed to do that?" she wanted to know.

"That's you guys' job to figure out," he teased.

When the meeting was concluded and they were headed outside, Sakura sidled up to Shizune and asked, "Sooo…which one of you proposed?"

"He did. I woke up this morning and he was just staring at me. Before I could even ask what he was doing he just blurted it out."

Genma grinned from ear to ear and slipped his arm around her waist. "Yep. I figure after all these years it's time she made an honest man of me."

Shizune rolled her eyes and breathed an exaggerated sigh. "That'll take the rest of my life…"

"I hope so," he said, and leaned in to kiss her.

Sakura smiled and left them to bask in their happiness together. Shizune was one of her closest friends, but she'd never talked about marriage before, and so Sakura had assumed that she and Genma were content to live together forever and didn't care about formalities. The way it sounded, the onset of the war was responsible for their sudden desire to publically and legally make their union official. Even if that was the case, she was happy for her friends.

She went over to Kakashi, and they walked together in silence for a few moments before she asked, "Want to get some lunch?"

"Cant," he said. "Naida is waiting for me. We're working on rigging an advanced alert system of chakra tags throughout the forest. The problem lies in keeping the monkeys away from them, and learning to tell the difference between the forest life and a human." He glanced down at her, and added, "We'll probably be at it all day."

"Oh. Okay." She inched closer and lowered her voice. "See you later tonight then?"

It was a moment before he answered. "Do you want me to come?"

Sakura was a little taken aback. He seemed to actually be debating it. "Yes. Of course."

Kakashi nodded. "Alright."

Her eyes searched what she could see of his face, but found nothing. "Alright," she echoed slowly. "Bye…"

"Later." With a short wave, he turned off in another direction and left her standing there by herself, confused and troubled.

Ever since they woke up this morning he'd been moody. But no one was really in a smiling mood, including Sakura herself. Anko had sort of been a friend of Kakashi's as well, someone he'd known and worked with for many years. There were only a handful of friends left from the early days of his career, and he had just lost two of them in less than two months. She told herself she really shouldn't read too much into it.

#

Over the next week, the Leaf rebels cleaned up the battle-thrashed jungle and made repairs to the temple's external walls. The damage was relatively minor, as the gates had been sealed and the enemy wasn't able to get inside. Meanwhile, the medics worked all day and often late into the night, restoring everyone to their full fighting strength.

The overload was almost a blessing in disguise for Sakura, as it allowed her to lose herself in her work and not think about how Kakashi was behaving and what it might mean. At first she'd been too preoccupied to really notice, but as the days passed the little things added up.

She was exhausted when she returned to her room each night, and she initially believed that explained why Kakashi came to her only a few times, when they'd spent every night together before. The first night as they lay entangled together after making love, he hardly said a word, and wouldn't talk about it when she asked. She figured he was just tired and a little depressed; weren't they all? The other nights, they only slept. When she tried to initiate intimacy he claimed he was tired, yet each night she fell asleep before him, and he was gone in the morning when she woke up.

Every couple reaches a point when they stop being ravenous for each other all the time, but she knew that wasn't what was happening. He never rejected her kisses and he still held her close at night, but it was in the moments in between when she felt the difference.

Kakashi was growing distant again, and she didn't understand why. She had predicted this would happen, and though she couldn't give it a reason, she feared she was already losing him.

* * *

Naruto had been dreading this moment for two weeks. But he couldn't put it off any longer, because he needed to determine for sure whether Sasuke's presence might really be a safety risk. And because avoiding the inevitable confrontation was eating him up inside.

So with his stomach curling in knots, he made his way to Sasuke's quarters.

He'd thought for days about what he would say, and still hadn't managed to come up with something good, something profound and appropriate to this strange reunion. This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to screw up, for himself and his teammates, for Konoha, and for Sasuke too. Yet he still had no idea what to do now that the moment was upon him.

Losing the years' long struggle to save his childhood friend and rival had devastated him, more deeply than he could show anyone because they couldn't understand. Sakura understood the most, but even she had mostly moved on. For Naruto it was about who he was fundamentally, the kind of person he wanted to be. It was about never going back on his word, even if the only person holding him to it was himself. How could he ever be a leader to thousands when he couldn't even reach one person?

Uchiha Itachi had once asked him how far his commitment to Sasuke went. '_If he is truly like a brother to you, then what will you do if he comes to attack the Leaf? Could you stop him, even if you had to kill him? Could you do whatever it takes?_' In that moment, he'd had no answer.

Over time, though, the opposing ideas of _saving_ Sasuke and _ending_ Sasuke had begun to blur together as it became clear there might not be a difference. In the end he'd failed to do either. He'd given up and let him go, as Jiraiya had urged so many years ago. Back then, he arrogantly and foolishly thought _he_ would be different, that he would succeed where his sensei failed. But when one horrible night he suddenly found himself leading a group of Konoha fugitives being hunted down by traitors, he'd been forced to accept that he had to move on. His people were in crisis, and if he was ever going to be the leader they needed, he had to put them before everything else.

Breaking that promise was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, and he'd never stopped wondering what had become of Sasuke. How far into the depths of madness had he sunk by now? Was there anything left of him besides hate? Would he have another Madara to deal with some day?

The last thing he ever expected was this.

Naruto entered the dark, quiet dorm building. It wasn't even half occupied, and currently everyone was out performing their duties for the day. There was only one soul present now besides himself, all the way at the back in the last room, far away from everyone else. He stopped before the door, hesitating, but he couldn't hesitate too long because Sasuke knew he was there. He raised his fist and knocked three times. "Sasuke." His voice echoed faintly down the hall. Inside, he heard Sasuke tell him to come in, and he opened the door.

The room was surprisingly dark; of course Sasuke wouldn't need lights. It was overcast outside, and the meager illumination through the small window did little to break up the gray dimness. Naruto closed the door behind him, and the shadows deepened.

The small space was practically empty. Sasuke's worn-out cloak was draped over the dresser, and his sword leaned against it. There was nothing else, no other personal effects. Sasuke sat on his bedroll, legs folded beneath him. It didn't look like he'd been doing anything other than that before his visitor arrived. Just sitting.

"Naruto," he said quietly.

Whether it was a greeting or a question, Naruto couldn't tell. "We need to talk," he said bluntly. "About why you're here."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Your true motives, for starters. I think it's far past time for a little honesty between us." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And I can kind of tell when people are lying now, so…" That wasn't _entirely_ accurate; his Sage intuition definitely wasn't foolproof. But Sasuke didn't know that.

"If you can tell if I'm lying then you know I told the truth," Sasuke said calmly. "I want to help you take out Danzou."

His passivity was weird, and completely unlike him. Sasuke was easily irritated and had more pride than anyone he'd ever met. Either something very drastic had happened to him, or he was faking. Naruto decided to push some buttons to see if something would slip. "Is that because you can't take him out yourself anymore? Are you that desperate now? Is your obsession with revenge so strong that you'd crawl back and offer to help me and the village you hate so much?"

Sasuke looked at him—looked his way, rather—and there was the slightest flicker of _something_ in his eyes, though it couldn't really be called anger. Then he looked away, and it was a long, long moment before he answered. "…It's because I've got nothing else. That's the honest truth. I can't let it go. I tried and it…it didn't work. It was…worse. I thought if I could just…_finish_ this…I could try to move on."

Naruto was completely stunned. It was by far the most candid and humble thing Sasuke had ever said to him. He _never_ admitted to flaws, weaknesses, or mistakes. Yet here he was laying himself bare.

"And I don't hate you," he added quietly.

Naruto couldn't help it; he scoffed. "What would you call it then?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly. "I can't…I don't know. Do you hate me?"

"Not really," he replied, but then he stumbled over how to define the mess of thoughts inside his head. "I don't know what I…" He sighed, gave up, and sat down on the floor. "Okay. Touché."

"You piss me off," Sasuke said after a moment, a hint of his old petulance returning. "All those years, you kept clinging to some fairytale idea of a happy ending when I'd given up on it a long time ago. I'd made up my mind, but you couldn't respect that and just let it go."

"And you piss _me_ off," Naruto returned ardently, "because you're so goddamn blind! And I don't mean in your eyeballs. You would have had all the power you needed in the world if you'd just had faith in us! You sure as hell wouldn't have ended up like _this_!"

Silence stretched between them, a momentary stalemate. Then finally, his voice barely audible, Sasuke said, "I know."

This certainly wasn't the knockdown drag-out brawl Naruto had always expected would happen when they were finally forced to confront their history. If Sasuke had already realized what he'd been trying to pummel into him all these years, what was left to say? It obviously hadn't made any difference. Or had it?

"What's happened to you, Sasuke?" he asked. "Where have you been the last two years?" Sasuke shifted his position, leaned a bit more into the light, and suddenly Naruto noticed something he hadn't before, something he couldn't quite believe he was seeing. "Your arm…" he murmured uncomprehendingly, staring at the long straight line of a deep, newly healed scar. "…You tried to _kill_ yourself?"

Sasuke looked down, turned his wrists up as if he could still see them, and it was then Naruto noticed that scars ran down _both_ forearms. "Tried and failed," he said bitterly. "The staff at the inn found me and I was taken to a hospital. I couldn't bring myself to try again." He folded his arms over his stomach and sighed. "I guess I'm not so eager to die after all."

Naruto could only stare at him in dismay. He'd sensed that Sasuke was messed up the day he arrived, but _this_… He had absolutely no idea how to respond to what he'd just heard.

"Some people think everything happens for a reason," Sasuke continued mutedly, almost as if talking to himself. "I always thought that was all bullshit; things happen because people _make_ them happen. Sometimes things happen for no reason at all. Tragedy can be pointless. Sacrifices can serve no greater purpose." His hands clenched into fists. "But lately…sometimes I start to wonder. If everything happens for a reason, then what the hell is the point of it all?"

Naruto was a Sage, a master of the energies running through the earth, supposedly attuned to the power of life itself. But he had no answer. If things did happen for a reason, then maybe the reason was so that they could meet like this, without violence. So they could finally _talk_. Sasuke was truly broken; maybe it was only now that he could finally be rebuilt. Or maybe he was right, and there was no reason at all. "I wish I could tell you," he said quietly. "Is that why you came here to the Fire Temple, for answers?"

Sasuke gave a faint shrug. "Yes and no. After…" his hands shifted in his lap, "I went to stay at another temple further east. One day I overheard some of the monks talking about the Konoha rebels taking refuge here."

Naruto frowned. He would have to talk to Hozo Inei and see if he couldn't impress upon the monks to be more careful when talking around strangers. "What do you want from us? From me?"

"Nothing. That is, I don't have an agenda. I told you that before."

"I believe you. But you've been MIA for over two years, and now you come here like this…what happened after the Kage Summit? Where is Madara?"

Sasuke's expression darkened. "He's dead. I killed him. That's all I want to say about it. For now."

Again Naruto stared at him. Uchiha Madara was dead? It had been a certainty in the back of his mind that one day Madara would return with his plans for destruction and world domination, and they would have to stop him. Now that threat no longer existed? It was like whole chunks of his reality were being turned on their head today. He wanted to demand a detailed explanation, but he could sense the turmoil that had risen in Sasuke just by bringing it up, and since he was getting such unexpected honesty out of him for once, he didn't want him to shut down. He decided to let it go for now. "Alright," he sighed. "Another time, then."

However, he desperately wanted to know what happened that had led him to attempt suicide. And not even the kind of suicide he'd expect from Sasuke: running headlong into a fight he couldn't win and going down in flames. He couldn't accept that he'd just plain given up. "What happened after that?" he pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sasuke sighed and bowed his head, hiding his face in shadow. "I just want to start over."

His apathetic veneer was slipping rapidly now, revealing something Naruto had never seen in him before: raw, unfocused despair. He'd always been able to channel his pain into a rage that gave him purpose. Now he didn't even have that. It was hard to see him this way. "I get it. I do. But Sasuke…I can't ignore the things you've done. Me and Sakura and Kakashi, we can't just pretend it's all fine. And the shinobi who follow me…I'm responsible for their safety. I have to know."

Another long silence stretched before Sasuke was able to answer. His words came slow and carefully controlled. "The last time we met…afterward, I guess it all just sort of caught up to me. I almost killed Sakura—_would_ have, if not for Kakashi. Then I tried to kill him too. And you. I would have killed you all if we hadn't been interrupted, even though I didn't want you dead. That was when I realized I was no longer in control; hate was. I was doing things because I didn't know what else to do, didn't see any other option. It was easier not to think about it, to just let rage drive me forward. Truth is, I didn't want to fight anymore, but I told myself I'd come too far to stop, that I was committed and there was no going back. Then when my eyes started to go, I began to realize the futility of it all…of my entire existence. I started thinking about the harm I'd caused, to myself and others, and for what? You can't understand…how much I wish none of it had ever happened."

_If only that were possible_, Naruto thought to himself. _So much would be different_. He empathized with Sasuke's regret, as there were many moments in his own life he might wish had never happened. But then he wouldn't be who he was today. "We can never erase the past," he said gently. "Good or bad, it hangs over us forever. All we can do is move forward with the lessons we've learned."

Sasuke shook his head, a gesture weary beyond words. His voice was strained when he spoke, barely above a whisper. "…I'm trying."

Despite everything, his heart went out to Sasuke. No, they couldn't erase the past, and who knew what tomorrow would be like, but right now, today, it sort of felt like they were friends again. "Okay," he accepted. "One day at a time."

He went to leave, but when he was at the door, Sasuke spoke again.

"Naruto…"

He turned back and was surprised to see that Sasuke was standing.

"Thank you." He held out his hand.

Smiling, Naruto crossed the room and took Sasuke's hand in a firm grip.

Maybe there was still hope.

* * *

Tenzou returned from Suna after nine days. The moment he arrived the council was immediately convened.

As Sakura was about to enter the lecture hall she spotted Kakashi approaching, and sent him a hard, questioning stare. He returned her gaze like nothing was wrong, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in his blank, unreadable face. He was flat out avoiding her now. She hadn't seen him for more than a few minutes during the day, and he hadn't come to her room for the past three nights. No explanation. She had evolved from confused to worried to offended to angry. And now he had the temerity to look at her with that stupid fake smile! His behavior was cowardly and completely disrespectful. She hadn't wanted to chase him down and force him to talk, but she'd had enough, and if she couldn't get him alone today, she fully planned to wait in his room until he came back tonight and demand an explanation.

But they had to get through this meeting first.

"So?" Naruto asked Tenzou the moment they were all seated. "What did Gaara say?"

"He wants a meeting," Tenzou reported. "With you. In person."

Surprised, uncertain glances were exchanged around the circle. Sai was the one to voice what they were all thinking. "You don't think—"

"No," Naruto interjected. "It can't be a trap. Not from Gaara."

"I agree," Sakura said. "There's a difference between the Kazekage's hand being forced, and him willfully selling us out. Gaara wouldn't do that to us."

"That's all there is to it," Naruto said decisively. "If he wants me to come in person then that's what I'll do. Shikamaru, Sakura, Kakashi…we leave tonight." He looked to Tenzou, Sai, and the other members of the council. "I'm sure you guys can take care of things for a few days, right?"

"Of course," said Tenzou. "Just be careful."

Naruto grinned. "When am I ever?" He nodded at his chosen companions. "But these guys are. They'll keep me out of trouble."

They continued to discuss the details, such as Gaara's instructions on how to pass through Sand territory and into the village without drawing attention, as well as protocols for an emergency situation. Kakashi's ninken Shiba would be left at the temple to relay any urgent messages from both groups. Four days out, four days back, and however many days it took to receive the help they desperately needed. They expected to be gone no more than two weeks.

Sakura was disgruntled by her drafting, to say the least. So much for her plans to confront Kakashi tonight. On the road they were unlikely to have a moment of privacy for several days.

Outside when the meeting was over, she caught up to Naruto and drew him aside. He would never believe her if she said she just wasn't interested in going, but she couldn't tell him she didn't want to be on the road with Kakashi with things as they were.

"Are you sure you need me to go?" she asked innocently.

"You mean am I expecting a medical emergency? No." He eyed her curiously. "What's up? I thought you'd want to go…"

"I do," she said quickly, and it was true. She had friends in Suna and she really shouldn't pass up a chance to see them after so many years just because Kakashi was being an asshole. But the idea of sharing a field camp with him every night when they couldn't talk was not appealing in the least.

"Also," he added. "Gaara's fond of you. And Kankurou's _really_ fond of you. The more we can remind them of our friendship the easier it will be to get their help. Shikamaru's coming for the same reason."

"I thought you were confident in Gaara?"

"I am. Mostly. But I know he may not have a choice. He'll definitely want to help, but he may have to do it covertly."

Sakura understood, but still tried one last time to get out of going. "I just wonder if it's a good idea to leave Shizune here to handle all the medical needs alone..."

"She's not alone; she has Hinata."

"I know…and Hinata's been a huge help, but you know what I mean. What if something happens?"

"I gave orders not to engage if the enemy shows up again. They're to lock down and hold out until we return with help. You were there when I said it."

He wasn't buying her excuses, and if she kept at it he would know she was hiding something. "I know, you're right," she sighed, giving up. "I guess I'm just being paranoid."

"You don't like not knowing what's going on and not being in control," he told her knowingly. "I get it. It's not easy for me either. You can't do everything yourself, Sakura-chan. You gotta rely on others once in a while."

He locked his fingers behind his head and grinned at her. "Besides, it might almost be like a little vacation. And you need one."

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That's the _real_ reason you're making me go, isn't it?"

His grin only widened. "Maybe."

Sakura rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Jerk."

He reached out and patted her head, then backed away before she could smack him. "Only cuz I love you."

"Yeah, yeah," she huffed, and turned to go.

"See you tonight, Sakura-chan!" he called after her teasingly.

She waved him off and headed toward the billets. It seemed she had packing to do.

#

When someone knocked on the clinic door, for a second she hoped it was Kakashi. Then she picked up the chakra signature, and her already crabby mood turned outright foul. She went to the door, threw it open, and glared unwelcomingly at Sasuke.

"Do you need medical attention?" she asked flatly.

He shook his head no.

Sasuke was the last person she wanted to see right now, but she was so surprised he would actually seek her out that she didn't automatically tell him to leave. She turned away but left the door open, and went back to stuffing medical supplies into her travel pack. She didn't hear him come in behind her, but she could feel his chakra signature move closer to her, and knew he was now standing in the middle of the room.

"You're leaving?"

There was no point denying it when he'd hear about it later anyway. "For a few days." Her back still to him, she demanded, "What do you want."

"I felt your power surging during the battle."

That was unexpected enough to stop her. She turned around and faced him. He no longer wore the raggedy clothes he'd arrived in, exchanging them for a simple gray tunic and pants cut in a traditional style that he must have gotten from someone around here. His face was clean shaven and his hair was more neatly tied back. Though he was clearly underfed and looked like he hadn't slept in days, he was still unfairly handsome, and that irritated her. He looked kind of like one of them, actually, and that annoyed her even more. She simply stared at him, waiting.

"I can still see chakra resonance somehow," he continued, looking right at her. "I see you now as a faint outline in the darkness. And I can sense the strength in you. I've also heard others talk, and they all seem to be enamored as well as terrified of you." A very faint smirk appeared on his face. "You've become quite a formidable shinobi."

Okay, this was just weird. Was he about to attack her? She couldn't sense anything… Was he _actually_ praising her? For real? She was still waiting for the nasty backhanded remark. "So?"

Sasuke shrugged mildly. "Nothing. I'm just…impressed."

"Impressed that an annoying waste of air like me could turn out to be a decent ninja?" she challenged bitterly.

He frowned ever so slightly. "That's not what I meant."

"Yes it was." Years of resentment welled up inside of her. "When you abandoned Konoha did you think I wouldn't last long without you there to protect me? Did you think I would quit, or get myself killed in no time? You certainly tried to make _both_ happen more than once!"

Sasuke's lips parted as if he wanted to speak, but then his mouth closed, and he looked toward the floor in silence.

"You know, I'm glad you left," she continued hotly. "It took you leaving me on that bench to realize how stupid and pointless my life was. I'm proud of who I am now, and I don't care if you think I finally deserve your respect and attention because I stopped caring what _you_ think a long time ago." She shook her head. "I still care about you, Sasuke—gods know why—but you're the biggest asshole I've ever met and I sure as hell don't like you." She turned back to what she'd been doing. "Now if you don't mind, I'm busy."

When she looked back over her shoulder several moments later he was gone, as silently and as mysteriously as he came.

It felt good to tear into him. He deserved to hear what he'd put her through, how worthless and inferior he'd made her feel for so many years, not to mention unattractive and undesirable during the sensitive early stages of puberty. He'd trampled on her self-esteem for close to a decade, not always intentionally, mostly through sheer arrogant snobbery. He was lucky she didn't have the time, or she could go at him for hours.

And yet, it wasn't as satisfying as she thought it would be. He hadn't said anything in his defense, hadn't gotten annoyed or walked away. He just stood there and took it. Like he knew he deserved it. Like he wanted it.

Sakura was still angry; that wasn't going to change anytime soon. But now that she'd gotten the things she'd wanted to say off her chest, she somehow felt even more confused. And for some reason, she also felt the tiniest little twinge of regret.

* * *

The deserts and dry grasslands of Wind country lacked the abundance of nocturnal creatures that made the jungles and forests of Fire so lively at night. The quiet that surrounded them each evening seemed eerie, almost otherworldly. It _was_ like another world, sparsely inhabited by strange animals and even stranger plants, dry and flat and open.

Not exactly the ideal terrain for four shinobi to move through in stealth. The village of Hidden Sand was far out into the badlands, leagues from any other human settlement, nestled in a dried- up river gorge carved through towering sandstone plateaus. It was very difficult to approach unseen. However, Gaara was supposed to have diverted patrols away in order to create a narrow unguarded corridor, where they could move through and meet up with Temari who would escort them secretly into the village.

The days were scorching, the heat oppressive and overwhelming, and so they only traveled after the sun went down. The nights by contrast were surprisingly cool, but they didn't dare risk a fire that could be seen across the vast open landscape from miles away.

Shiko had opted out of the trip two days ago, going back to her world until Sakura needed her. She'd wanted to see the Wind country, but after half a day of _feeling_ it, she decided it was too much for her. The pup couldn't be blamed for not wanting to be cooked alive in her thick fur coat. She'd wanted to know where the _wind_ was in "wind" country; Sakura told her she didn't want to find out. A dust storm was the last thing they needed.

It was late in the fourth night, and they were now in the shadow of the mountains. They were expected at the rendezvous point at midnight. It had not been a comfortable journey, and not just because of the physical hardship.

Sakura stuck to Naruto's side the entire way. If she couldn't have a moment alone with Kakashi, then she wanted a barrier between them to keep something from happening that might make the situation worse. Like her throwing a large rock at his head, as she'd been tempted to do several times. It seemed avoiding Kakashi while traveling was becoming the norm, at least as long as he refused to be a normal person and talk about his problems.

If anyone was a master at nonchalance, it was Kakashi. The affectation was so well-practiced, eventually he could even fool those closest to him. And he could dance circles around anyone when he didn't want to talk.

But he _did_ talk to her, as much as he did to the others. He'd even made a playful comment or two. She wondered if he realized how it hurt her when he did. It was worse than outright avoidance. It made her wonder if he was putting on a show, or if he was so removed from his feelings that he really didn't understand that something was terribly wrong. Maybe he just didn't care enough to notice her turmoil. Sakura wasn't so good at pretending, but she tried her best so the others wouldn't notice. She was sure Shikamaru noticed anyway, but he wasn't the type to say anything.

They reached the rendezvous point with several minutes to spare. The only way in or out of the village was through a narrow, well fortified canyon that was closely monitored. But they weren't going through the front door; their destination was nearly three miles west of the canyon's entrance point. It was a large formation of sedimentary rocks that had been eroded by wind into unusual shapes. Scrub brushes and brambles of various sizes grew all around and in between dozens of nooks and crannies in the rock. It was a perfect habitat for snakes, scorpions and spiders. A place to avoid if you knew what was good for you.

"Are you sure this is it?" Naruto asked dubiously, looking around.

"These are the coordinates we were given," Shikamaru replied, double checking his compass to be certain.

"It looks like a good place for an ambush," Sakura pointed out.

"It is," said another female voice.

They turned abruptly toward the voice, and saw Temari emerging from behind one of the rocks. "It gives off just enough signs of danger to keep people away from it." She strode up to them, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Welcome back." She shook hands with Naruto first, then the rest of them. "It's good to see you again."

When she got to Shikamaru they clasped hands, but then they just stood there looking at each other, the funniest little smiles on both of their faces. It couldn't be more obvious that they were trying very hard to hold something back. Temari looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

"Oh fuck it," she blurted, and threw herself on him, kissing him hard. His arms went around her, and they clung to each other like no one was watching.

Naruto rolled his eyes amusedly and said, "Didn't see _that_ coming at all…"

Everyone assumed it had started when they fought each other in the chuunin exams years ago, but no one was really sure. Whatever the case, their long-distance relationship had been the worst kept secret in Konoha.

Sakura casually turned away, lest her eyes give away how annoyed – and envious – she was. Shizune and Genma were engaged, Naruto and Hinata fell more googly-eyed in love with each other every day, and now Shikamaru and Temari were reunited. Another happy couple making it work despite all odds. Fantastic.

They stood there staring at rocks and tumbleweeds until the couple came back to reality and separated. Despite the moonlight they could see the color in Temari's face. Even Shikamaru looked flustered.

Temari cleared her throat. "So." She gestured vaguely toward the recessed rock wall. "It's, uh, this way."

She led them into a narrow alcove formed by two boulders, which concealed a doorway within the solid cliff face. That door led to a tunnel which stretched away into blackness, carved—or more likely, jutsu-molded—through a vast stretch of solid rock. Temari grabbed a large flashlight from an alcove on the wall, clicked it on, and set off down the dark passageway. The Leaf shinobi followed, forced to walk single file through the narrow, twisting channel. After about a hundred meters they came upon a raised iron portcullis tipped with nasty-looking spikes. The release switch was on the interior side, and Temari released it once they had all passed under. The spiked bottom slammed firmly into the rocky ground, leaving no doubt as to what would happen if a person were caught beneath it.

"This tunnel was built ages ago," Temari told them as they traversed the passage. "Only the Kazekage and their closest advisors are ever told about it. It's intended to be an escape route in case the village was ever lost. These gates are obviously here so no one can come from the other way without being let in."

Not much else was said after that. The tunnel may be concealed beneath hundreds of tons of rock, but they still wanted to keep their entry into Hidden Sand as secret as possible. There would be plenty of talking when they met with the Kazekage.

They walked through the darkness for at least an hour, their footfalls echoing through the oppressive silence. They could sense the weight of the earth above them, could feel that they were deeply buried with no hope of escape should something go wrong. It was unsettling; fortunately none of them were claustrophobic. Every few hundred meters they passed beneath another gated barrier, and each time Temari shut it behind them.

At last they came to a solid door. Temari turned to them, put a finger to her lips, and switched off the flashlight. Complete darkness swallowed them, but after a moment they were able to see a tiny sliver of light through the bottom of the door. They heard her maneuvering in the dark, working the latch, and then the sliver of light expanded into a rectangular outline as the door opened. Temari moved it a couple inches, peeked out to ensure it was all clear, and then opened it fully.

They emerged into some sort of storage room filled with stacked crates and miscellaneous junk. The door they'd come through had a stone façade, and when closed it looked like just another part of the wall. They followed silently as the Sand kunoichi led them out of the room and down a dark hallway, and realized almost immediately that they were in the Kazekage's palace. They encountered no one as they moved; the building must have been cleared of all but the permanent residents, which consisted primarily of the Kazekage and his two siblings.

The Kazekage's office was on the top floor. Kankurou was waiting outside when they got there. They almost didn't recognize him without the kabuki war paint that usually covered his face; he obviously had no reason to wear it in his own home in the middle of the night. He greeted them cheerfully with shoulder claps and handshakes, and went as far as to hug Sakura.

She hugged him back and didn't fail to notice the way he looked at her, surprised that he was still holding that candle after all these years. Surprised, and a little rueful, because he was a good guy and deserved someone who was actually interested.

She also didn't fail to notice the less-than-amused way Kakashi looked at Kankurou when his arms went around her, and she took a small measure of smug satisfaction in it.

The Kazekage was waiting for them in his office, leaning casually against his desk with his arms folded across his chest.

Naruto rushed forward, grinning excitedly. "Gaara!"

Gaara was happy enough that he smiled as well, a rarity for him. "Naruto," he said as they clasped arms. He nodded to the others in greeting. "Sakura. Shikamaru. Kakashi-san." Turning back to Naruto, he said, "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Nope. We weren't seen."

"You understand the secrecy is for your protection more than ours."

"Of course we understand. I'm just glad you agreed to see us at all."

"I'm glad you're well. I've thought about you and the Leaf fugitives often. I wish you had come to us sooner."

"We were afraid of the risk, with Suna being part of the Alliance," Shikamaru said.

"You are friends," Gaara returned plainly. "I have precious few, and I don't turn my back on them." He walked around his desk and began clearing the clutter of papers and scrolls, stuffing them into various drawers. As he did so he said, "While you're here, if you need to leave the palace grounds for any reason, it would be best to do it in disguise. I have no doubt that Danzou places spies wherever he can as a matter of protocol, particularly in the other hidden villages."

He came back around the desk. "Are you hungry? I hope so. I've had a dinner prepared, and it's considered extremely rude in Wind country to refuse hospitality." He smirked faintly, and gestured for them exit the office.

The late night dinner was a simple but sophisticated spread of traditional Wind country dishes. The fruit platters were the most interesting: succulent melon-type fruits whose juices ran down your arms and chin, and strange spiked or furry-skinned things that didn't taste sweet in the way most people defined fruit. There was also chewy warm flatbread, rice seasoned with earthy native herbs and roasted peppers, and a selection of fire-grilled meats. The cuisine in Suna and the rest of Wind country was heavy on the spices, sometimes eye-wateringly so. It had something to do with spicy food making you sweat and thereby regulating body temperature. It was different, a welcome change from the frugal routine the Leaf nins had endured for so long, and the complimentary flavors made for a delicious meal.

There was also plenty of wine made from honey or dates, and they made good use of it. Even Gaara had a glass of the spiced date wine.

"I thought you didn't drink?" Naruto remarked.

"The last time you came to Suna I was still the One-tail jinchuuriki," he said. "I couldn't do anything that put me at risk of losing even the slightest bit of control. In the past couple of years I have come to enjoy many things I was unable to do before." He smiled mildly. "Particularly sleeping."

They talked about many things, exchanging stories and catching up on the past few years. For a while it was nothing more than a quiet dinner between friends, filled with laughs and pleasant conversation. But eventually the subject came around to Danzou's coup, the insurgency back in Konoha, the long and difficult journey of the Leaf rebels, and the recent events that had brought them here.

Naruto told the story, with Shikamaru adding a few details. Temari and Kankurou asked questions here and there, but the Kazekage listened to it all in silence. As always Gaara was implacably calm, at least on the surface. But they all remembered what he used to be like when he _wasn't_ calm. He wasn't someone you wanted to see angry. And he was certainly not thrilled by what had been done to his friends and allies.

Silence fell after Naruto had finished. Gaara took a sip of wine and then set the glass down carefully. "The bottom line is this," he said. "I care more about personal alliances than political ones. Perhaps that is a selfish attitude for a Kage to take, but it is the truth nonetheless. I will help you with whatever you need."

"There's more to it than that anyway," Temari added. "_Politically_ speaking, Danzou has crossed a line that warrants action. He's broken the agreement of the Alliance by covertly raising an army that he plans to use – _is_ using – for unsanctioned military action."

Kankurou nodded in agreement. "All the Kages think he's a shady bastard. No one trusts him, no one likes him, and the truth is they've been waiting for an excuse to take him down almost since the day he took office."

"_Stole_ his office, you mean," Sakura said pointedly.

"Exactly. If the Daimyo hadn't backed his appointment the other Kages would have never acknowledged him. Kakashi-san would be the Hokage right now."

"Oh, I'm sure I would have passed it off to Naruto as soon as possible," Kakashi said blithely. "I just think that hat would look terrible on me."

Everyone chuckled at that—everyone but Sakura. She didn't find anything about Kakashi the least bit amusing right now. In fact she was trying very hard not to glare daggers at him. He'd ignored her throughout the meal, hadn't even looked at her. And Sakura wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Naruto had picked up on it several times. Even Gaara had looked back and forth between them with interest at one point. Everyone knew Team Kakashi was uncommonly close, so even those who had no idea what was really going on recognized the strain, and the tense silence between them stood out in particular amid such an otherwise warm and friendly atmosphere.

Sakura felt embarrassed by it, and humiliation always made her furious. As the conversation continued over the details of Suna's aid and then eventually back to friendly chitchat, she drank more wine than she probably should have and contemplated Kakashi's imminent demise.

* * *

It was nearly three when they were finally shown to their rooms for the night. Sakura said goodnight to Kankurou after he walked her to her door and waited a few minutes for him to have gone back down the hallway, then went out again. She thought the coast would be clear, but to her surprise – or maybe not – she found Temari across the hall, outside Shikamaru's door, poised to knock.

They both stopped short and stared at each other.

"Did you need something else?" Temari asked as casually as she could.

"No," Sakura said. "I, uh—"

The Sand kunoichi took in the other's body angle and glanced toward Kakashi's door, a few doors adjacent to Sakura's. Then she looked back to her, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. "So…" she said. "Awkward."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yep."

Temari grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Well whatever. Goodnight."

Sakura couldn't help but smile a little too. "Night."

Temari turned back to Shikamaru's door and knocked softly. Before it opened Sakura heard her murmur under her breath, "Always knew there was something about those two…"

She waited for Temari to go inside, standing where Shikamaru wouldn't see her even though she was sure he'd hear all about it in a moment. When his door closed again, she moved quickly to Kakashi's room.

#

She didn't bother to knock, simply walked through the door and shut it hard behind her.

Kakashi was stopped midstride, apparently just come from the en-suite bath, his mask pulled down but otherwise unchanged. By his expression, he was clearly affronted by the rude intrusion.

Sakura didn't give a damn. She fixed him with a glare that would have petrified lesser men.

Kakashi collected himself, and with infuriating calm said, "I was just coming to talk to you."

"So you finally have something to say," she said acidly. "After a _week_."

He grimaced. "I know. But it's been kind of impossible with two other people stuck to us. Especially when one of them is Naruto."

"The past four days I understand. What about the first three?"

He looked at the floor. "I have no excuse," he said mutedly. "I'm sorry."

Sakura walked forward. "Kakashi what is going on? Why are you being like this? And don't you dare pretend you don't know what I'm talking about."

He avoided her eyes, and his answer was a long time coming. At last he sighed and said, "This isn't working."

Sakura couldn't say she hadn't seen this coming, or that she hadn't considered this scenario over the past few days. What else could it be? But that didn't keep her from feeling like she'd been punched in the gut. "_What_? This isn't funny."

Kakashi's face was gravely serious. "No, it isn't."

She shook her head. "Don't do this. We've already been here before."

"Yes, and I should have listened to myself the first time." He took a step back from her, turned partly away. "I can't do this. And you deserve someone who can commit to you properly…"

Sakura felt like the floor had suddenly dropped out from under her. "_Commit_?" she repeated shakily. "Are you saying you…you've been with someone else?"

"No," he said quickly. "No…I can promise that much at least. But I can't do…relationships. I'm no good at it."

She took a moment to calm down, relieved that whatever else might be happening, it wasn't _that_. "Your aptitude as a romantic partner isn't really for _you_ to judge," she said pointedly. He was being an idiot, and she was determined to match his screwy logic with reason. "If you're talking about history…I don't care. I don't exactly have a good track record myself."

He gave a wry huff. "Yeah, you fall for the wrong people, and you give too much of yourself, and then they break your heart."

Sakura stared at him for a long moment. "You're nothing like Sasuke."

Kakashi finally met her gaze. "That's where you're wrong, Sakura. I favored him for a reason. He reminded me of myself, once."

"_Once_."

"No one changes completely. I don't have it in me to share a life with someone, and you mean too much to me for a casual fling." His eyes and voice softened. "I'm telling you this now to spare you pain in the future."

Maybe he should have told her that before he fell into bed with her. But then…he sort of had, hadn't he? It was she who didn't want to listen. "Maybe it wouldn't work out. Most couples never do." She moved closer and reached up to tenderly caress his face. "But I would rather deal with that later on than give up." she said softly, imploring him with her eyes. "Can't you just try?"

His eyes slid closed fleetingly when she touched him, but then he gently took hold of her wrist and pulled her hand away. "I _have_ tried." His voice was quiet with control, and he wouldn't look at her. "We're here right now because I've tried."

Sakura jerked her hand away in a fury and took a step back. "How can you just flip a switch like this? How is it so easy for you to just throw it all away?"

Kakashi glared at her, his measured calm beginning to slip. "It's _not_ easy. You have no idea how much I've struggled with this decision…" He walked away, turned his back to her. "But the hard reality is it's unlikely that we'll both survive this war. I'm trying to spare us both."

"You think just because I'm sleeping with you I'll suddenly be more devastated if you die?" she cried incredulously. "You think my feelings for you magically came into existence the first time we kissed? That I didn't already consider you one of the most important people in my life? Is that how it is with you? Are you honestly telling me that if we stop, you'll feel nothing for me?"

"Enough," he said in a strained voice. He was wavering, struggling against the weight of their feelings, against the conflict between his mind and heart.

Sakura moved behind him. "The only purpose in this is to torture us both." She grabbed his arm and tried to force him to look at her. "I know _you_ love to torture yourself, but I—"

He whirled on her and grabbed her arm, pulled her in close and growled, "I said that's _enough_."

They were suddenly very close. Kakashi loomed over her, his attempt to intimidate only making them both vividly aware of the strong attraction between them. Sakura smirked knowingly and inched even closer, lifting her face up to his. "Your mouth can tell lies, but the rest of you is much more honest," she murmured softly. Her free hand curled around his neck, her fingertips smoothing through the hair at the nape. "You don't really want this."

She could see his internal struggle for control become an all out war. She knew then how to get through to him.

She kissed him.

He made a show of resisting at first; his shoulders stiffened and his grip tightened on her arms, and his mouth was firm and unyielding against hers. But all that lasted about five seconds. His lips gave in first, parting hesitantly, a soft sigh escaping him as he leaned into her, almost unaware. Then the pressure of his hands eased, becoming a caress as they moved up her arms. It had been too long, and they were hungry for each other. His tongue swept against hers, and passion flared between them like a wildfire.

Sakura encouraged him with everything she had, pouring all of her love and desire and fearful desperation into the kiss, willing him to feel it, accept it. In return she took in his frustration, his turmoil, and his undiluted yearning for her. There was no hiding their feelings when their lips met in a kiss.

They were moving, Sakura carefully teasing and luring him toward the bed. Then her hip bumped against a small table displaying an ornately painted vase, and Kakashi decided that was far enough. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up until she was tenuously half-seated on the table's edge. The vase wobbled, tipped, and fell to the floor, landing on the rug unbroken. Sakura wound her legs around Kakashi's hips, her arms around his shoulders, using all of herself to draw him closer, reel him in. His hands moved to her hips, gripped them firmly, pressing downward as he positioned himself between her thighs. She moaned softly against his mouth in pleasure.

That tiny little sound did something to him, made him aware of what was happening. He froze, tensed up, and tried to move away. Sakura pulled him back into her arms and kissed him again.

Kakashi tore himself away more forcefully, fixed her with a heated glare. "Don't do this, Sakura," he said harshly, but she could hear the effort it took to resist her. "Using sex as a weapon is beneath you, and you're only making it harder."

Anger boiled over inside of her. She shoved him hard, driving him backward as she slipped off the table. "Harder on _me,_ right?" she snapped. "Not on you, because you don't give a shit!"

"Now you're being ridiculous. Why the hell do you think I'm doing this if I don't care!"

For Kakashi to raise his voice was an indication of how upset he really was. He was wound tight as a tripwire, and just as ready to explode. It wasn't easy for him to set her aside. That was something at least. But it wasn't enough.

He took a half step toward her, but then stopped himself. "I don't want to hurt you."

She threw her hands up. "Well it's far too late for that! You pretend to care, maybe you even _think_ you do, but you don't. If you cared you wouldn't do this to me!"

She immediately regretted playing that card. It was manipulative and immature. But her heart was breaking, and she was desperate to make him see it her way. A heavy, shaky breath escaped her, and a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

For a long minute they just looked at each other. Kakashi looked utterly miserable, and she was glad. She wanted him to feel even a hint of the pain he was inflicting on her.

Then Sakura turned away, afraid to look at him anymore. Afraid to let him see her heart. They were both splintering, and she couldn't see a way to pick up the fragmented pieces. She was losing this battle.

Kakashi sighed heavily and ran his hands roughly over his face. "This is why we never should have gotten involved."

Sakura spun around in furious dismay. "You fucking bastard," she hissed. "Why did you ever kiss me?" Her voice rose shrilly, but she no longer cared. "Why did you _have sex with me_ if you didn't want to be with me?"

The abbot had encouraged her not to give up, but she couldn't keep standing there and let her heart be pummeled again and again. There was only so much she could take. This was the breaking point.

Kakashi seemed to realize it, sensed the dangerous ground he had led them onto. He started to move toward her. "Sakura…"

"No!" she shrieked, warding away his advance, hurt and livid past the point of reason. "_Fuck you!_"

He flinched visibly, stricken by the venom in her voice. Then the wall came up, and his face became an unreadable mask. He stared at the floor, still as a statue.

"I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit, Kakashi," she spat, forming her words around the tears that threatened to choke her. "What's left to say? It's over before it really began because _you're_ too afraid. You're a fucking coward! Yeah, maybe I'll die. Maybe _you'll_ die. And whoever is left is going to hate themselves for not taking advantage of every last second. Just one more regret piled on top of the others, right Kakashi? That's what you want, isn't it? It's the only way you know how to live. Well if you're so determined to be miserable and alone then you can fucking have it! I'm done."

Sakura stormed out and slammed the door behind her. She knew Kakashi wouldn't try to come after her. That would require a will to fight, and he only wanted to give up.

Before she'd gone ten feet she heard something crash and shatter against the wall inside his room. Covering her mouth with her hand to stifle a sob, blinded by tears, she hurried back to her room.

* * *

It seemed they were staying in Suna for another day. The only reason Sakura knew this was because no one came to get her or tell her anything as the day slipped by.

She had cried herself out during the long night, sobbing until she was exhausted and was left lying inert and all but lost to herself. When she was awake she watched the sunbeams move across the floor, growing longer as the hours passed. When she slept, she remembered, and would wake up crying again.

Kakashi didn't want to be with her. Not because he wanted someone else, or because he didn't feel anything for her. Not even because of their ages, their ranking and position, or any other social construct that might cause problems for them. But simply because he had decided for himself that he couldn't. No amount of rationale could get through that mindset. This wasn't something she could fight against. Only Kakashi could change his own mind about something so fundamental, and he was unwilling or unable to do so. She had lost him. Maybe she had never truly had him to begin with.

She grieved for that loss like a death. It was the end of nearly everything that mattered to her. The end of their romance, likely the end of their friendship, and possibly even the end of Team Kakashi.

Sakura had no idea how to move forward from here.

Eventually she came to the conclusion that it might help to just _move_. She dragged herself out of bed and went to shower, then put on fresh clothes and combed her hair, brushed her teeth. If she could go through the motions, then minutes would turn into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, and life would go on as it always did. Somehow.

She was beginning to wonder what to do with herself next, when there was a knock on her door. Her heart jumped in her chest, and she was torn between running for the door and shouting at them to go away. What if it was Kakashi? Did she want to see him? Could she really turn him away if he wanted to talk?

The knock came again, and this time she hurried to open it. It was an unfamiliar Sand kunoichi. Sakura stared at her blankly.

"The Kazekage and your companions are about to have lunch if you'd like to join them," said the messenger.

"Alright. Thank you," she said flatly.

Sakura closed the door and leaned against it, dreading the moment she would have to face everyone. They obviously knew something had happened. With the way she'd shouted at the end, they probably heard every word. That was why no one came to find her, she realized. It wasn't like Naruto not to check in with her at least once during the day. And now they'd sent someone anonymous, someone who couldn't possibly upset her, to see if she was alright and insinuate that her friends would like to see her if she was feeling up to it.

Naruto and Shikamaru were one thing; they'd all known each other way too long to pretend their lives were perfect and they'd all gone through ups and downs together over the years. But the Kazekage and his siblings were another matter. It was embarrassing that they were aware of so much of her personal drama, and it was her own fault. She always wished she had more restraint and composure, but when her emotions were out of control, so was she. She couldn't help it.

There was also the possibility that Kakashi might be there. Could she really sit through a meal with him right now, or was that just asking for a disaster? In the end she decided that the presence of other people would keep the hostilities – and the tears – at bay long enough for her to get something to eat. She was quite hungry, now that she thought about it.

However, she needn't have worried, because Kakashi wasn't there. Gaara, Temari and Kankurou were seated at one side of the table, Naruto and Shikamaru on the other, with a place setting left open for her. Apparently they weren't expecting anyone else.

Sakura greeted everyone with a smile, sat next to Naruto, and piled her plate with last night's leftovers. Everyone was very careful to steer clear of anything that might touch on what happened. No one asked why she'd been in her room all day, or wondered where Kakashi was. Even generally simple questions such as asking if everyone slept well were avoided like the plague. They were also very careful not to stare at her.

It was the most awkward and uncomfortable meal she'd ever had. Sakura put on a cheerful face and endured it, participating amiably in the lighthearted conversations that no one really cared about. She knew they'd been talking about her before she came in, and would probably talk about her some more once she left. She and Kakashi had created quite the scandal, after all. If they weren't here covertly, the whole village would probably be talking about it.

She finished eating as quickly as she could without appearing to rush, and then announced her intentions to go out into town for a while. She needed to get away from this palace with its echoing halls and stifling atmosphere, to lose herself for a while in the hustle and bustle of the streets.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Naruto asked her, and she could see in his face everything he was trying so hard not to say.

"No," she said lightly. "I'm going clothes shopping, and you'd just be bored." She gave him a big smile. "Besides, you suck at henge."

He returned her smile, but the concern remained in his eyes. "Yeah, you're probably right. Just…be careful though."

"I will," she promised, and casually left.

The heat kept most people indoors during the height of the day, and so the peak market times in Suna were early morning and afternoon. Sakura reached the central square just as the stalls were reopening and people began to fill the streets once again. She had donned a complex henge that completely changed her appearance into that of a slightly older woman with mousy brown hair and eyes. She wore the old yukata she used to put on when traveling incognito with Shizune. With her chakra control there was almost no chance of anyone sensing her disguise.

Sakura browsed leisurely, taking her time looking for what she wanted. The market was organized into sections, the foodsellers on one side, textile merchants on another, and those selling pottery and miscellaneous sundries across the way. She focused on the stalls offering cloth and jewelry. Going shopping wasn't just an excuse to get away; she really did need new clothes. The ones she had were getting downright ratty—when you only had a couple outfits that were constantly washed and re-worn, they tended to wear out quickly. Also, as a medic _and_ a fighter she got bloody a lot, and after so many times the blood stopped washing out completely.

The residents of Suna were a desert people, practical and tough, and tended to favor muted or neutral colors; blacks, whites, and just about every shade of brown in existence. When they did go for color, they leaned toward the darker hues. Sakura chose a couple that suited her, including a bolt of deep crimson cotton that was even darker than the shirt she currently wore. She grew annoyed with the merchant when he insisted on haggling with her instead of just taking her money, but once they were both satisfied with the purchase, she asked where she could find a tailor and then made her way to a quieter part of town, searching for the address. There was no shinobi clothing emporium where they all bought their gear. Aside from the official village uniforms – the wearing of which was almost never mandatory – and little things like bracers, belts and boots, ninja attire was custom made to suit individual needs and personal style. When she found the tailoring shop she pulled her regular clothing from her pack and showed it to the tailor, told her she pretty much wanted the same thing with a few minor changes. She also commissioned a long-sleeved shirt from a pretty eggplant-colored fabric, as well as some leggings for when winter came.

After receiving assurances that her new wardrobe would be ready in the morning, Sakura decided to head back. The arid desert heat and the constant ebbing of her chakra from holding such a complex henge had worn her out, and although she'd only been awake maybe four hours, she felt like taking a nap.

However, sleeping proved to be impossible. Within minutes of lying down and closing her eyes, her mind decided to run a repeat of her fallout with Kakashi. She cried some more, which gave her a headache and also made her angry. Would she ever stop feeling like her guts had been ripped out? Was Kakashi going through anything remotely similar?

Probably not. He'd probably convinced himself thoroughly that he'd done the right thing long before last night. He was not spontaneous about serious matters. This had been coming for days.

Sakura got up and went for a walk. Without really intending to, she ended up wandering over to the training area in the palace grounds set aside for the Kazekage's use. Training was actually a good idea, she decided. She would exhaust herself so she might be able to sleep without that horrible fight thrashing its way through her subconscious.

She pushed through the gate and walked into the walled-off yard, but stopped short when she saw that someone was already there.

* * *

Kakashi was aware of Sakura's presence, but he continued his drills without pause, assuming she would leave once she saw him. But to his surprise she started toward him. When she was no more than twenty feet away and he could no longer realistically pretend not to have noticed her, he stopped and faced her.

The expression on her face was hard and cold, her shoulders set for confrontation. He hated that she looked at him that way, but he couldn't expect anything different. He had done this to her.

"Sakura," he acknowledged quietly, and turned to go.

"Don't leave," she said, walking up to him. Her tone was not at all friendly. "Fight me."

He turned back, surprised. "What?"

She took a fighting stance. "Spar with me. Having a partner is always better than going it alone."

You didn't have to look underneath to pick up on _that_ subtext. He sighed, and turned to leave again. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What's the matter, Kakashi?" she challenged, and slowly began to circle around him. "You're not afraid are you?"

Another allusion. He _was_ a little wary, actually. He couldn't tell what she was up to, and she was in a dangerous mood. "This isn't the sort of fight you're after," he said wearily.

"Well it's the only kind you'll give me," she snapped. She raised her fists. "Let's go."

He shook his head. "Sakura—"

Sakura swung at him. He dodged, taking a step back, but she came right at him with another punch. He blocked that one with his forearm and maneuvered away, settling into a defensive stance. Apparently she was going to fight him whether he agreed to it or not.

They danced around each other for a minute, Sakura on offense, Kakashi just trying to avoid her. But his obvious unwillingness only made her angrier. When she finally landed a solid blow, it jarred him to the bone.

She was putting chakra into her attacks. Not enough to seriously injure him, but they definitely packed a wallop. He rubbed his leg and glared at her. She grinned victoriously – but it was an empty victory, devoid of any joy whatsoever.

Kakashi resigned himself to what was happening. Sakura was not the kind of opponent he could take lightly. She was powerful and relentless, and right now she was furious. In the end he did the only thing he could: he defended himself.

It wasn't easy to defend against her unchecked aggression without returning it in kind. Their 'spar' rapidly disintegrated into something much more violent and serious.

Her fist connected squarely with his face, and light and searing pain exploded behind his eyes. He felt blood soak his mask, tasted it on his lips. He stumbled back and bent over at the waist, cradling his broken nose between his fingers. When his eyes stopped watering and his vision was straight again, he looked up at her in disbelief. She'd done it on purpose…yet he could see the regret in her eyes. But it wasn't enough to stop her. Kakashi would have to do that himself.

He knew what this was about. He had hurt her badly, she wanted to hurt him in return, and she didn't think she could do it with words. If only she knew.

But if she knew she would use it against him, and so he couldn't let her see how much this was tearing him apart.

When she came at him again he employed every tactic he knew to take her down without injuring her. He finally got her on the ground, kicking her legs out from under her and pinning her with his weight. Sakura railed and unleashed a string of growls and half-coherent curses at him, but he held on tight, using his own chakra to overcome her unnatural strength. He didn't kid himself; she could hurl him halfway across the village if she wanted to. But she didn't. The fight was going out of her.

This wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what either of them wanted.

Finally she gave up struggling, went limp beneath him, and her eyes welled with frustrated tears. That nearly undid him. Kakashi gazed down at her and tenderly brushed his thumb across a forming bruise under her eye. She flinched at his touch and her eyes locked with his, confused and devastatingly hopeful.

It took everything he had not to lean down and kiss her. He could feel himself crumbling. Kakashi exhaled a slow, measured breath. "I'm sorry." For so, so many things. "I thought you were really out to hurt me."

Her brow furrowed in anger and she swatted away his hand, shoved him off of her and sat up. "I was," she said harshly.

That hurt more than his broken nose. Which she wasn't going to heal, he knew. He would need to get another medic to tend to it.

They sat there in silence, not looking at each other as they caught their breath and wallowed in their shared but isolated misery. Eventually Sakura stood and brushed herself off. Kakashi made no move to rise, but looked up at her and quietly asked, "Do you hate me?"

Her eyes were bright with fresh tears. "I wish I could," she murmured miserably. Then she turned and walked away.

Kakashi remained there for a long time after, staring at her retreating footprints in the sand.

* * *

Naruto found him at dawn, as he stood on the terrace outside his room watching the sunrise. He hadn't even heard him come in, and Naruto wasn't known for his stealth. But his mind had been elsewhere all night. Two places, actually; far back in the dark days of the past, and just down the hall, where a beautiful amazing young woman nursed the heart he had broken.

He expected Naruto to announce that they were leaving soon, but he only came up beside him and stood at the railing, and for a minute they gazed out across the waking village in silence.

"What happened to your face?" Naruto asked without looking at him.

"Sakura," he answered. He never did look for a medic. He'd set it himself, applying the basic medic skills all jounin knew. The mask and eyepatch hid most of the damage, but the dark bruise under his right eye was plainly visible.

Naruto nodded faintly. "Right. Well you can't say you didn't deserve it."

"No," he agreed softly. "I can't."

Silence stretched between them again. Then Naruto said, "We had to pay for the vase and table you smashed."

"I'll pay it back."

"Damn right you will. I guess we should be thankful Sakura only broke a mirror and didn't take out the entire building." He cast him a sidelong glance. "I would ask what you fought about, but…kinda already heard it all."

Kakashi knew everyone had to know by now, and he was a little surprised that Naruto hadn't given him a broken jaw to match his nose. "Are you angry?"

Naruto turned to face him. "I'm not angry that you're together. I'm angry that you got together and then _you_ decided after the fact that you didn't want it."

He gave him a measured look. "Didn't you do the same thing?"

Naruto looked surprised for a half a second, then his expression hardened. "If you know about that then you know it was different. It was mutual. I didn't drag her heart through the mud like you're doing." He paused, and sighed. "Look. I want you both to be happy, but you need to get your head out of your ass, Kakashi. She's a total wreck and it's _your_ fault."

Not a second had passed in the last twenty-four hours in which Kakashi wasn't painfully aware of that fact. He didn't need to be reminded. He regarded the younger man a moment. "So you don't care that we…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, unwilling to acknowledge aloud that everything regarding Sakura was now in the past tense.

Naruto shrugged. "Why would I? I mean I _know_ all the reasons why some people might have a problem with it…but in reality you gotta find happiness where you can. Next to Sakura, I trust you more than anyone else in the world. I honestly wouldn't wish for her to be with anyone else." He gave him a long look, his expression set in judgment. "Though maybe I was wrong about that. I won't forgive you if you don't make this better somehow."

Kakashi had no idea how to do that. He couldn't come up with a single realistic way to make any of this easier. "I don't think it matters what I do," he said mutedly. "It's too late."

He stared out across the rooftops, feeling heavy and utterly wrecked. The burden of denying two people's desires was almost more than he could bear. And it had only just begun.

* * *

TBC


	20. In Joy and Sorrow

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty: In Joy and Sorrow

* * *

Sakura had thought facing the people who'd overheard every nasty word of her breakup with Kakashi would be the most awkward and uncomfortable situation of her life.

And then there was the four day journey back to the Fire Temple.

Temari came back with them. She would be taking command of a contingent of fifty Sand shinobi who would follow within a week, bringing much-needed supplies and weapons with them. Those fifty would remain to bolster defenses until the Leaf rebels fully mobilized to move on Konoha, and then another hundred would join them. Of course, the Kazekage's tactical wisdom was the real reason Temari left a week ahead of her command: he knew that if his sister was separated from Shikamaru again after only two days, she would be hell to live with.

Once again they traveled under the cool cover of darkness, sleeping during the day and eating their dried rations without a fire. Shikamaru and Temari kept to themselves, lost in each other's company. They walked shoulder to shoulder and huddled together when they settled camp to rest.

In contrast to the happily reunited couple, the tension between Kakashi and Sakura was a silent scream that no one could ignore. Kakashi kept his nose in a book all day or wandered off to scout ahead or conceal their trail. No doubt he would have gone ahead entirely if it wasn't necessary for them to stay together. He was so standoffish and brooding that no one wanted to talk to him anyway. He might as well have not been there, except for the continuous negative effect he had on Sakura.

If they thought his mood was bad, it paled in comparison to hers. Sakura went out of her way to avoid Kakashi, and tried to fake cheerfulness toward the others, but in the end it was more exhausting than simply acting how she felt. Every moment she wore a stilted smile and pretended nothing was wrong she feared she would lose it, burst into tears and humiliate herself further. And she'd be damned if she let Kakashi see her cry again.

Naruto tried way too hard to keep things positive and start conversations when no one felt like talking. He meant well, but he only made the problem more obvious. By the end of the second day, even his cheer deflated under the weight of the atmosphere. When at last the group reached the Fire Temple late on the fourth night, they couldn't wait to get away from each other.

Only when they got there, it was immediately apparent that something unusual was happening.

Shiko had informed Kakashi's ninken of their impending arrival and they hadn't heard anything in return that might indicate a problem. Yet the temple grounds were brightly lit in the middle of the night and everyone seemed to be awake and moving about, though with no sense of urgency or alarm. Then as they passed the prayer hall they saw that it was filled with monks. A quiet, steady chant of murmured sutras filtered out into the courtyard.

"The monks are never out at night," Naruto said, frowning. "What's going on around here?"

They found out when Tenzou was notified of their arrival and came to meet them. "The abbot was unable to get out of bed this morning," he explained.

"Is he sick?"

He shook his head. "Just old. It's his time. The monks all knew this was coming. They're holding a vigil and saying prayers to guide him to the next life. A lot of us are keeping the vigil with them."

Naruto nodded solemnly. "That's good. I will too. Master Shingen gave us shelter here when we had nowhere to go, and these monks have fought and died at our side as comrades. We have to support them like they've supported us." He suppressed a sigh. "Is there anything that needs my immediate attention?"

Tenzou's eyes traveled over the group, curious when they landed on Temari, narrowing perceptively when they shifted between Kakashi and Sakura. It was easy enough to read the mood in a group of people he knew so well. He let none of what he was thinking show. "No. Everything ran smoothly while you were gone."

"Good. See you in the morning then."

The travelers returned to the barracks, together only in the sense that they were all going to the same place. They dropped off their gear, and then, despite their weariness, they returned to the common areas to show their respect and wait out the night.

#

Ichirai Shingen passed just before dawn. In the gray early hours of morning, Hozo Inei became the new abbot of the Fire Temple in a private ceremony attended only by monks, as the uninitiated were not allowed to witness the sacred ritual. Later that same day, a public memorial service was held.

The monks cremated their dead in reverence to the spirit of fire that infused so many of their philosophies, and a funeral pyre had been erected for the ceremony. The sun at its zenith cast a bright white light over the world, nearly blinding in its brilliance. The jungle had fallen eerily quiet, as if nature itself had stilled, aware of the passing of a great life. Only the constant clicking song of the cicadas filled the air.

Sakura stood silently between Naruto and Sai, lost in her own melancholy as Hozo Inei's funeral oration drifted to her ears as if from a great distance. It was a strange feeling, as if her emotions had swelled so large her mind couldn't form words around them, as if she were empty and filled to bursting all at once.

When a person dies, they pass their Will of Fire to those left behind, and the inheritors of that spirit strive to honor it by living a good and noble life. People are never more aware of their own life than in the presence of death, and naturally wonder what will happen when their own time comes. And so the loss of a friend or loved one is a time not only to honor the life of the deceased, but also to reflect upon one's own life. A chance for clarity of purpose, to ensure that the body, mind and soul are all on the same path. And if not, a chance to realign them. _._

For Sakura, it seemed an impossible task.

Was it awful of her to be feeling sorry for herself at a time like this? She was only thinking of this now because it had been the kind and wise Ichirai Shingen who had filled her with such positive hopeful feelings when she'd been plagued by doubts.

And now, standing here paying respect to his life, she felt guilty that she couldn't honor his advice.

At the edge of her sight she could see Kakashi's tall form, standing with Genma and Shizune instead of with his teammates. She didn't look at him directly, but she was as sharply aware of his presence as if he were standing right in front of her.

As Master Inei spoke of the wisdom and compassion of the departed abbot, Sakura recalled the insightful guidance he had given her.

'_To those who have suffered great loss, nothing is more precious than a constant friend who will never abandon them. Their fear might make them push against intimacy like a wave pushes the shore, but often what they truly desire is for someone to stand their ground, even to push back.'_

And yet she had walked out on Kakashi, screaming that she was through with him.

'_He __reached__ out__ to__ you__ and__ let__ you __close __for__ a __reason,__ even __if __he__ does__ not __know__ what __it__ is.__ You__ may __never __know__ that__ reason,__ but__ you __must __make_ him _know __it.__'_

But she didn't have it in her to trail after Kakashi and try to make him remember why he'd fallen for her. He hadn't even forgotten; he'd just decided that it didn't matter. Her heart couldn't take the beating of constant rejection. Not again. She wasn't going to repeat the same futile struggle that had made such a mess of her life before. Not because she didn't have enough love, but because she had too much self-respect.

Sakura turned her eyes forward as Master Inei put the torch to the pyre, pushing all thoughts of herself and Kakashi out of her mind as she watched it go up in flames.

* * *

"You sure you want to do this?" Tenten asked Shizune as they faced off with each other. The weapons master unclipped a scroll from the back of her belt. "You're getting married in a couple days..."

"That's the beauty of being a medic," the older jounin answered. "Barring a severed limb, I can easily erase any unwanted blemishes I might get from kicking your ass." She pressed the catch on the metal stick in her hand and it snapped open into a full-length quarterstaff. Her overlong sleeves were rolled up to reveal the bracers of senbon she always wore.

Tenten laughed. "We'll see."

Sakura looked across at Hinata, and shrugged. She wasn't a fan of ego-banter. Though she used to toss jibes back and forth with Kakashi all the time; it just seemed to come naturally to them. But her days of sparring with that man were over. Hinata gave her a small smile in response, but said nothing. She also preferred to skip the trash-talking that always seemed to come before a fight. She raised her hands in the guarded stance of her clan's Jyuuken style.

When each kunoichi was positioned and ready, the four-way battle royale began.

Tenten unleashed a barrage of projectiles at Shizune, who deflected them with the rapid spinning of her staff. Then before Tenten could launch another attack, Shizune fired back with a wave of deadly accurate senbon. When they ran out of things to throw at each other, Tenten unsealed a hulking mace with wicked-looking spikes protruding from its head. Each time it clashed against Shizune's metal staff, sparks flew.

Hinata rushed at Sakura, wasting no time in trying to disable the chakra pathways that gave her such monstrous power. Sakura never used her full strength in a spar against comrades, but Hinata knew the other close-range fighter would still hit hard enough to crack a few ribs. Sakura was also aware that one jab in the wrong place from a Hyuuga would render her unable to use her chakra at all. Both women were fast and agile—you had to be when you specialized in hand to hand combat—and they slipped and darted around each other like two fighting mongooses. Both knew they had to block the other's attacks at all costs while still getting close enough to strike with their own. One could say they were badly matched…or that they were perfectly matched. Theirs was a contest of who could dodge and block faster, and hit fastest.

Tenten couldn't use chakra like Sakura and didn't have the strength to wield such a heavy weapon for long. She eventually abandoned it and returned to launching weapons from a distance, putting Shizune on the defensive once again. At one point Tenten got too close to Sakura, and Sakura took a swing at her. The weapons master leapt aside and launched a handful of kunai, but Sakura evaded and kept coming. Sakura got inside her range and after a brief spar, landed a solid blow on her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. But before she could strike again, Hinata was behind her aiming a jab at her kidney. Sakura dove and rolled and hurled two kunai from each hand – two at Hinata and two at Tenten. While Tenten was distracted by Sakura, Shizune closed the distance between them and tried to sweep her feet out from under her. Tenten managed to dodge out of her reach, so next Shizune struck at Hinata from behind.

Of course that wouldn't work on the Byakugan user, but it did divert her attention just long enough for Sakura to close in and aim a punch between her shoulder blades. Hinata spun around just fast enough to receive only a glancing blow. She caught Sakura's wrist in her hand and pressed two fingers into the pressure point, disabling the chakra flow in that arm. Sakura growled and jerked herself free, leaping away to a safe distance. Hinata knew that she would be able to undo the blockage within moments, given her mastery of chakra, and didn't intend to lose the advantage she'd gained. But as she rushed Sakura she was again diverted, this time by a barrage of kunai and shuriken from Tenten. Hinata slipped into her sixty-four palms technique to deflect the attack.

The four kunoichi continued like that for some time, every woman for herself, each combatant taking advantage of any opportunity even if it was created by another. After a while a small crowd gathered to watch the impressive exhibition of agility and quick thinking. Many started cheering and shouting encouragement from the sidelines. Most of the onlookers were men, who probably weren't entirely objective in their appreciation.

There was no clear winner. Sakura had to hold back her strength, Tenten couldn't use exploding tags or particularly nasty weapons, Shizune couldn't use her poisons, and Hinata couldn't use any moves that might paralyze or cause permanent nerve damage. A shinobi's best techniques were always off-limits against friends. It was just a fun and exciting way to relieve stress, and when it was over the four exhausted women leaned on each other and laughed all the way to the bathhouse. After a relaxing soak, they headed to the dining hall to have lunch together.

They got there just in time to hear people cheering and clapping. When they took in the scene it became clear what the cheering was for: Shikamaru and Temari were standing beside their table, just at the end of releasing each other from an embrace. Apparently they'd just kissed in front of the entire rebel army, much to everyone's surprise—including their own by the looks on their faces. They seemed to be in that weird place between being happy for the support, and annoyed by the attention.

They looked at each other in an 'oh well' sort of way, and then beat a hasty retreat. More cheers and whoops escorted them out.

"What's _that_ about?" Sakura remarked as they headed toward the food line. It wasn't like the aloof couple to display their relationship in public. For years they wouldn't even acknowledge being more than 'working partners,' let alone friends or anything closer.

They got an answer when Kiba and Lee ran up to them.

"Hey Shizune!" Kiba said, "Looks like you're not the only one getting hitched!"

"What!" they all exclaimed.

"Yeah," he grinned toothily, "we were sitting right by 'em so we heard everything. They put their food on the table and were about to sit down, when all the sudden Temari just looks at him and says '_let__'__s __get__ married_.' Shikamaru looks back at her—the guy actually _shrugs_—and says '_okay_.' Just like that!"

"And then they kissed!" sighed Lee. "It was very romantic!"

"I don't know about _romantic_," Tenten said, "but it's just like them to be so practical."

"_I_ think it's romantic," Hinata chimed in quietly.

Lee looked at Shizune excitedly. "Shizune-san, perhaps it can be a double wedding!"

"No woman wants to piggyback another's wedding," Tenten interjected matter-of-factly. "And vice-versa." She gave her teammate a look, silently pointing out his social blunder.

"Besides," Shizune said. "They'll probably want their families to be there."

"Of course you are right," he said, nodding. "I just find such pockets of love and beauty blooming around us in these dark times to be so exciting!" He was clearly back to his usual levels of enthusiasm after recovering from a near-fatal injury. His determination and positivity were admirable, if a little over the top.

Sakura remained quiet throughout the conversation and their meal. She wasn't so selfish as to not be happy for her friends…but why did she have to pick the one guy not willing to commit? There was only one worse man to fall for around here, and she'd already wasted years on him.

Yet even as these thoughts entered her head, she found herself wondering when she'd become so cynical.

Later in the day she went around with Shizune, helping out with the final details for the wedding. Naruto had been right that everyone would be eager for a big affair. Yesterday a large group had gone to the village and brought back dozens of cases of traditional wedding food and special sweets that the villagers had been happy to make for them. Kurenai had even arranged to have formalwear made for the bride and groom by the village tailor. The monks were furnishing the music and the alcohol – and the venue of course. Today people were busy decorating, stringing up lanterns, braided vines and garlands of fragrant tropical flowers all over the common areas. The Sand contingent had arrived a week ago, and they were happy to help out as well. People were going all out, even people who didn't know Genma or Shizune personally. It was something to focus on other than war and strife, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. It had truly become a communal celebration.

As she assisted the bride-to-be and watched her friend glowing with happiness, Sakura thought again about the changes within herself. She was aware that she was slowly growing bitter and jaded, becoming so different from what she wanted to be. She used to be so optimistic and hopeful for the future. So full of dreams. Maybe part of that had been naiveté, but she had been a happy young girl nonetheless. She couldn't blame Kakashi for killing her youthful dreams of true love and perfect romance. She couldn't even blame Sasuke, really, because she didn't want to think he could still have that kind of power over her. Maybe it was something wrong with _her_, that she kept choosing the kind of men who were incapable of giving her what she needed, and yet found it impossible to feel passion for safe and genuine men like Naruto.

All she knew for sure was that this wasn't what she wanted for herself. She wanted to be happy and respected and loved.

At times she found herself wondering if she'd given up on Kakashi too quickly, if she should have pushed back harder against his resistance. But she always concluded that she was only second-guessing herself because she was lonely. She shouldn't have to _convince_ him to give them a chance. Love can't be negotiated. Sakura wanted a man who would _fight_ for her, a man who wanted her more than anything else in the world and wasn't afraid to acknowledge it. She wanted what Shizune had in Genma; he utterly adored her and was _proud_ to say so. Sakura deserved that too, and she wouldn't settle for less.

And so what if she didn't have a great love life? She had great friends who would do almost anything for her, she was successful and respected in her career, and she was young and healthy. Right now there were certainly more important things to focus on—like the war and taking back their home. She felt bad for thinking so much about herself at a time like this. She had survived a broken heart before, years ago, when she thought it was the end of everything. She would survive this too. Life would return to normal soon enough.

That's what she told herself at first. But as days and then weeks passed, it never got any easier.

Word of what happened in Suna never spread; those involved weren't the gossipy sort. Yet there was talk anyway. Kakashi and Sakura were high-profile people, and there had been whispers about how they used to be together all the time, practically inseparable, and yet now they barely look at each other… You can't live around people trained since childhood to be exceptionally observant and expect them not to notice.

Every day was a trial for her. Every morning as she headed to the command briefing, she wondered if she would experience that same gut-clench when she caught that first glimpse silver hair. It hadn't failed yet. It was painful to see him, even more so to talk to him. Naruto had tried a few times to act as an intermediary in the hopes of patching things up, but it wasn't going to happen. Sakura focused almost single-mindedly on her work as head medic. Kakashi had retreated back into his old shell of lazy indifference and did as much work outside the temple grounds as he could reasonably do as second-in-command. But they still had to work together and interact nearly every day, and they had to be professional.

There were moments when she had tried to breach the chasm between them, when she made a quip or tried to kick up some of their old friendly banter. Kakashi wouldn't let her. Everything he did was designed to distance her.

In two days Sakura would face the toughest trial yet: standing with Kakashi as the representatives in place of family at their mutual friends' wedding.

* * *

The ceremony was held at sunset, when the heat of the day had lessened and the surrounding jungle grew quiet. The glowing lanterns floating everywhere in the flower-scented air had transformed the temple into an ethereal dreamscape.

Sakura and Kurenai had spent the afternoon getting Shizune ready and calming her anxiety. Kurenai had a couple extra yukata to lend, all simple and unadorned, and she was taller than Sakura, but it was better than nothing. They shared a fondness for red, and Sakura was quite pleased with her chosen loaner: a bright cherry-colored fabric with a deep crimson obi. Kurenai had also acquired makeup from somewhere, and they were surprised by how much fun they had doing their hair and dolling themselves up. They were shinobi twenty-four-seven and none of them were the high-maintenance type, but there was definitely something to be said for feeling like a _woman_ now and then.

When the time came, they escorted Shizune to the pre-ceremony staging area adjacent to the prayer hall. The wedding would take place in the larger courtyard out front, which had been transformed into a beautiful torchlit pavilion.

Genma, Kakashi and Aoba were already waiting there. The look on Genma's face when he saw his bride was the stuff of every girl's dreams. Shizune was radiant in a simple white kimono embroidered with red hibiscus—to match the real ones in her hair. Genma was equally stunning in a deep green kimono so dark it looked almost black in the fading light, and his sandy brown hair was neatly combed for once and fell loose at his shoulders. They drew up to each other and couldn't stop themselves from touching. With trembling fingers Genma touched the flowers in her hair, trailed his fingertips down her cheek. For a moment it didn't seem like he could say anything.

"Is it against the rules if I kiss you right now?" he finally managed.

Shizune gave him a beaming smile. "I don't know," she said softly. "Since when are you a fan of rules?"

"You're right." He grinned and pulled her against him. "It's a crime to look that gorgeous and not be kissed."

As Sakura looked away from the smooching couple her eyes locked with Kakashi's. He looked much the same as he always did, just tidier, without the eyepatch and weapons. But there was something about the way he stood there looking at her that was so magnetically attractive she almost forgot herself and moved toward him. She managed to pass it off as a simple, casual step forward. Hardly a day went by when she didn't notice little things, like his scent or the smooth timbre of his voice, which still gave her a twinge of sheer desire. Many things had gone wrong between them, but they hadn't started in bed.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly.

Sakura smiled carefully, afraid to show too much. "Thank you." Searching for something to talk about, she glanced over at Genma, who was practically falling all over himself with nervous excitement, and laughed softly. "I didn't think he was capable of getting so anxious."

Kakashi looked over at his friend. "You should have seen him earlier. When he chewed through the last of his stir-sticks he went for a senbon. I had to remind him that Shizune probably wouldn't appreciate tasting metal when he kisses her."

Sakura had never seen Shizune as happy as she was today. "I don't think she cares much at this point."

That was where they ran out of easy things to say, and they found themselves staring at each other in uncertain silence.

Sakura would have given anything to know what he was thinking right then. She couldn't deny that there were times when she longed to catch him watching her, to feel him 'accidentally' brush against her, to hear even for a second something more than civil professionalism in his voice. But he'd shown no indication that he ever felt anything for her.

Until this moment.

His mismatched eyes searched her face. He opened his mouth and breathed in as if to speak, but then stopped himself. A hundred different things raced through her mind, a thousand scenarios played out in silence on nights when she lay awake in the dark, unable to sleep because she'd grown too used to his presence beside her.

Then the moment was gone, as one of the monks appeared and announced, "It's nearly time."

Sakura went over to Shizune and did some last minute straightening of her kimono while Kurenai made sure the flowers were still secure in her hair. Kakashi and Genma clasped hands and shared a smile that was a testament to their long, long friendship. Aoba kissed Shizune and gave Genma a brotherly hug. And then it was their cue. Kurenai and Aoba went first, and Kakashi and Sakura followed.

Kakashi held his arm out for her, Sakura slipped her hand through his elbow, and they started toward the courtyard. For half a minute she got to be close to him again, to feel his warmth and the strength of his arm against hers. Then they were separating and stepping off to the side to make room for the bride and groom.

Genma and Shizune walked to the altar, side by side as equal partners on their journey through life together.

After all the preparation and buildup for a wedding, the actual ceremony is surprisingly quick. Master Inei performed the marriage rite, and Genma and Shizune both grinned like fools the entire time. They sealed their vows with a kiss, and because it was Genma, he bent his new wife backwards with the dramatic flair of an old movie, earning whoops and whistles from the crowd. Everyone cheered and clapped some more and came forward to congratulate the newlyweds.

#

During the dinner there was a string of congratulatory speeches given by the couple's closest friends, and anyone else who wanted to toast to the newlyweds. Genma and Shizune gave the opening speech, thanking everyone for their support and participation in making it all happen, that it couldn't have been any better.

Sakura spoke next. "We all know Genma has no shame," she said, eliciting knowing laughs from the crowd. "And we all know Shizune is a little on the reserved side. From a distance they might seem like an odd couple, but I truly can't think of two people more suited to each other. They fill in the gaps of each other's strengths and weaknesses. And the best thing is they both know it." She grew more serious, holding Shizune's gaze with a small smile. "When Shizune and I were on the road together for two years, searching for our comrades, there were times when we nearly lost hope. But the one thing she never lost hope of was that Genma was alive somewhere, looking for her. She _knew_ that one day she would find the man she loved and they would be together again. Her determination not only carried her forward, but gave _me_ hope as well."

She'd made Shizune cry, and possibly Genma too, though his face was conspicuously hidden as he kissed her hair. Sakura's eyes were wet as well, and she wasn't finished. "And now we're here tonight, surrounded by friends and the people we love," she continued, speaking directly to Shizune now. She took a carefully controlled breath, willing herself not to lose it during her own speech. "Tsunade-shishou would be so happy and proud of you. She loved you like a daughter, and if she were here she would be the first one to drunkenly threaten bodily harm to your new husband if he ever hurts you." Several chuckles went round at that. "So I guess—though I'm not drunk _yet_—that falls to me. Genma—" she smiled at the grinning groom, "I know I'll never have to enforce that threat, but I'm obligated to make it anyway. I hope you know how lucky you are." She raised her cup.

"Every day," he returned, and they all drank to that.

Though he loathed public speaking and being in the spotlight, Kakashi stood next and said few words to his oldest friends. "I've known you both over twenty years, and I know what you've been through to get here. Two wars, multiple brushes with death, and over ten years of separation. It takes a special kind of courage to overcome so many obstacles. If anyone deserves to live happily ever after, it's you two."

The crowd cheered their agreement, and from across the room, Kakashi's eyes met Sakura's. He held her gaze for only a brief moment, before looking away and following through on his toast.

Sakura continued to watch him carefully as he drained his cup, sat down, and immediately poured another. She was pretty sure that wasn't his first—or second—and she wondered what was bothering him. There was a time when she could have just sat down next to him and asked, but not anymore. Now she could only guess. She knew him well enough to intuit the vague subtext to his brief speech. He'd been referencing himself, or at least drawing from his own experience, implying that he lacked emotional fortitude and therefore didn't deserve lasting happiness. Sakura already knew he thought that about himself. She'd experienced the ugly reality of that character flaw up close and personal. But if he was unhappy about the consequences of his choices…it was his own fault.

And she was sick of pining over him and stressing herself out. This was a celebration, and she needed to lighten up. She turned so that Kakashi wasn't in her line of sight anymore and focused on Aoba, who had stood up to speak next.

He looked more than a little uncomfortable. "You all know I'm not the best speaker," he began with a nervous laugh. "I tend to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and it gets me into trouble more often than not." A few people snickered, because he _was_ known for putting his foot in his mouth. Then his face grew serious, and the crowd fell silent. "It really shouldn't be me giving this speech…it should be Raidou. He always believed these two would end up together, even when it seemed like Shizune would never come back home to Konoha. For a long time I wasn't so sure, but he just couldn't imagine it any other way. I'm glad he was right, and I wish he was here to say 'I told you so.'" He choked up a little, and took a deep breath. He smiled at his teammates, but his eyes remained sad. "He'll always be with us though, supporting his teammates through all of our adventures."

Genma held up his cup, and in a voice was thick with emotion said, "To Raidou. And to all of our friends who are here with us in spirit."

Everyone echoed him and got emotional and emptied their cups. A few more people proposed toasts, and then finally, Naruto gave the closing speech.

"You guys have been through a lot," he said to the couple. "But you never stopped loving each other, never stopped hoping, and tonight is proof that it pays to never give up." He gazed out at the crowd of shinobi. "These are dark times, and it's easy to lose sight of what really matters. But because of this wedding, the past few weeks at this temple have been filled with joy and excitement for the future." He turned back to the couple. "Genma, Shizune-nee-chan…thank you for reminding us all of what we're really fighting for: our future. I hope yours is exactly what you want it to be." He turned back to the crowd, raised his cup and hollered, "Now let's party!"

They took his suggestion wholeheartedly. The reception became as rowdy and lively as only an army of shinobi could make it. Lots of drinking and gorging on delicious foods they didn't normally get to eat, combined with music, dancing, wild acrobatics, and other insane shenanigans.

Sakura watched the scene for a while, noticed a few things that surprised her, and a few that didn't. The biggest surprise: Sasuke was lurking back in a shadowy corner. She wouldn't have thought he would care about the wedding or that he would voluntarily come to a party. She recalled the things he'd said to her before she left for Suna, and wondered if he truly was trying to change. She'd been deliberately nasty to him that day, and it felt good at the time, but afterward she felt bad, petty—like kicking someone when they're already down. Maybe she should give him a chance.

Still, she wasn't quite ready to go talk to him just yet.

On the other side of the room she saw Sai and Hanabi sitting together at a table, close enough to be touching. Their heads were tilted toward each other as they talked, and then Hanabi said something that made Sai _laugh_. Then she spotted her other teammate, trying to avoid notice as he sneaked away hand in hand with Hinata.

Sakura's smile cracked and faltered. She was genuinely happy for all of her friends, but that didn't stop her from feeling that bitter twist of jealousy.

Aggravation flared inside her; she was so sick of feeling like this! _That__'__s __it_, she told herself. _You __are__ not __allowed __to __sit__ alone__ and__ drink __anymore._ She searched for something or someone to distract her, and noticed that Aoba was also sitting by himself, watching amusedly as Genma dragged a laughing, protesting Shizune out to where the tables had been cleared away for a dance.

Sakura went over and stood next to him. "Don't you know it's a faux-pas to pour your own drinks?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh yeah? You gonna pour for me?"

She took a seat on the bench. "I was the primary unofficial sake pourer for the Godaime Hokage, you know," she said airily. "That makes me an expert."

He gave her a mock bow. "I'm honored."

She reached for the wine jug and held it poised above his cup. "There's only one rule..."

"What's that?"

Sakura gave him her most charming smile. "You have to pour mine in return."

If he was surprised by her attention when they'd never really talked much before, he didn't show it. In fact he seemed quite pleased. He took her cup out of her hand and grinned. "Deal."

* * *

Hinata's first kiss had been with Kiba when they were fourteen. Dating and kissing and hooking up was all anyone their age ever talked about in those days, and they'd wanted to know what the big deal was. So one day at the training grounds, before Shino and Kurenai-sensei arrived, they decided to find out.

It had been wet, slippery, embarrassing, extremely brief, and nothing at all like how Naruto's kisses made her feel. Naruto took her breath away and filled her with a giddiness and a heat that made her knees weak.

She was glad she was currently leaning against the trunk of a tree, supported by his strong arms and pinned by his warm, solid weight. She clung to his shoulders, winding her fingers into his hair as he placed hot kisses against the skin of her throat. She hadn't fainted in years, but she was in danger of it now.

The temple gardens were quiet and dark except for the occasional winking of fireflies, and the air was filled with the scent of flowers. Naruto had wanted to get away for a while from the party and the constant attention—he was starting to learn that popularity and leadership had its drawbacks. They went for a walk, and somehow ended up here, kissing and groping in the dark. While at times she still found it hard to believe that Naruto wanted to kiss her and did so _a __lot_, she had finally gotten used to having little intimate moments with a man.

Tonight it felt different, somehow. More intense, exhilarating in a dangerous sort of way, as if something totally new might come of it, as if it wasn't an act in and of itself but a prelude to something much, much more.

One of his hands was tangled in her hair—he loved touching and playing with her hair; she'd never had to brush it more often than she had in these past few weeks, but she loved that he loved it. His other hand eased upward along the curve of her waist, across her ribs, hesitating only a second before moving to cup her breast. Hinata was not shocked; she wanted him to touch her everywhere.

"Hinata," he murmured, breaking from her lips. His breath mingled with hers. "I want you."

"I'm already yours," she breathed, and kissed him again.

Naruto made this little growl-whimper sound whenever she did something he especially liked, and he did so now. His arms tightened around her and he pressed her more firmly against the tree with his body. Then he drew back a little and looked into her eyes. "I want you completely."

Hinata knew what he meant the first time. She wanted it too, had been thinking about it all night, actually. Still, she felt herself blushing as she breathlessly nodded her consent. Naruto smiled and kissed her so passionately it made her head spin. His roving hands grew more bold, insistent and greedy, as if he'd been restraining himself until now. His abandon seemed to unleash her own desires, and her hands wandered across the hard planes of his torso, exploring. His skin was unusually warm, but she had come to learn that was normal for him. She wondered what it would feel like when his bare skin was against her bare skin.

Naruto pulled back again, just barely, resting his forehead against hers. "Not here," he rasped. "I want it to be right."

"It's right if it's with you," she whispered distractedly. It didn't matter if they were in a tree or underwater. She'd loved him for years, and she just wanted to be with him. "I don't care…"

He smiled softly and cupped her face in his hands. "_I_ care." He kissed her again, then grabbed her hands and led her out of the gardens.

Hinata wasn't aware of the walk back to the billets at all, so completely lost in the moment was she. Only when they were alone in her room and his hands were slipping under her shirt, touching her bare skin, was she back in her body.

Between heated kisses, with careful reverence, Naruto began to peel her clothes away. Hinata did the same, slowly unwrapping him like the greatest gift she'd ever received. She admittedly hadn't given much thought to what this moment would be like, and she certainly never dared to imagine it would be with this man. Now that she was here, she was surprised by her own lack of embarrassment.

No one had ever touched her this way before. She never would have guessed that the soft brush of a man's fingers across her stomach could make her heart race like this. That just his hot breath against her skin could make parts of her body tighten and ache. She wanted to touch him too, wanted to know what he felt like, tasted like, wanted to know how he would react if she did to him what he was doing to her. The cause-and-effect of lovemaking was an exciting and glorious revelation…and they were only at the beginning.

They sank down onto her bedroll together, and from that moment forward, Hinata's world became a completely different and much more beautiful place.

* * *

Sakura spun and laughed in a whirlwind of semi-intoxicated glee. Aoba was an enthusiastic dancer, and he'd been steering and twirling her around and between the other couples for the last several songs. Now they were so out of breath they could barely stand up straight. It didn't help that they were laughing so hard.

Finally he led her back to their table, his hand resting lightly between her shoulder blades. They sat down close together, their shoulders and thighs touching. He poured her another drink and started telling a joke.

Sakura had been halfheartedly flirting with him for the past couple hours. She found him only mildly attractive, but she was pleased to discover she genuinely liked him as a person, and she wondered why they hadn't become friends sooner, given how long they'd been acquainted. They were friends of friends who just never sat down and got to know each other. He was a laid-back guy with a good sense of humor. He was also everything Kakashi wasn't: outgoing, normal, and not terribly exciting.

Aoba was flirting with her as well, but without any real intent. He was wary of Kakashi; it was obvious by the way he occasionally glanced in the other man's direction. Sakura made a point _not_ to look at Kakashi. It gave her a smug satisfaction that he was watching them and was clearly displeased, but it also made her angry. He'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be with her, so it was none of his business what she did or with whom. He had no right to be offended. She was pretty sure she could incite a reaction out of him if she wanted to, but while it might prove a point, she wasn't about to hook up with anyone just to make Kakashi jealous.

Aoba was in the middle of delivering the punchline to his joke when there was a commotion at the other end of the room. The music abruptly stopped. Concerned murmurs rippled through the crowd. Someone had collapsed.

Sakura jumped up and ran over to the fallen man, pushing her way through his friends and bystanders. "Back up," she ordered. "Let me look at him." He was curled up in the fetal position, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain. She knelt beside him and put her hand on his abdomen—the skin was hot to the touch. She pushed a little chakra into him, determined the source of pain came from his stomach, and almost immediately a sensation of wrongness radiated out to her probing chakra, as if she had touched an open flame. She exhaled sharply, alarm spiking through her. "No," she whispered.

She whipped around at another cry of distress. Someone else was down. Shizune was moving toward him. Rapidly scanning the room, Sakura spotted several people looking ill or in pain, hunched over or ready to collapse.

Shikamaru hurried over, eyes falling to the sick man and then to her. "What's going on?"

Across the chaotic room Sakura and Shizune's eyes met, their expressions mirroring the same devastating conclusion.

"Poison," she announced with building dread. "It's in the food."

* * *

TBC


	21. Fools and Sages

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-one: Fools and Sages

* * *

"What do you need, Sakura?"

Shikamaru hovered above her, waiting for direction. Her head was reeling, senses made hazy by alcohol_.__Focus!_ she told herself angrily, and began directing chakra flow within her body to start metabolizing the alcohol in her system; she was going to need full cognitive function if she was going to take charge of this crisis.

"Clear the floor and lay out the people who are sick," she ordered. "The more they ingested the sicker they'll be; try to gather the priority cases together. Ask the patients who can talk what exactly they ate; we need to identify a common source. Get them to induce vomiting if they can." Shikamaru nodded and left.

Sakura coating the sick man's stomach lining with her chakra to suspend any more poison from entering his system. She soon realized it was the same tree-frog toxin the Moss nin had hit them with before. She looked around and singled out the next available bystander. "Tenten," she said urgently. "Find Hinata right away. She needs to go to the clinic, grab a box of syringes and the antidote Shizune and I made after the last poisoning. She knows where it is."

A small wave of relief washed over her. They may have been caught unawares, but they weren't unprepared.

#

Tenten sprinted toward Hinata's room first, hoping she would be there. She rushed down the hallway of the billets and banged hard on the door. "Hinata! Are you in there?" She heard rustling inside and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to have found her so quickly. Every minute mattered.

Hinata opened the door, a startled look on her face. She was wearing a sleeping yukata. Tenten noticed movement in the room behind her, and glimpsed Naruto buttoning his pants. "Oh…" she blurted, momentarily startled as she realized what she'd intruded upon. But the situation was dire, and she quickly pushed her shock aside. "There's an emergency. Some of the food was poisoned, a lot of people are sick."

Naruto came to the door and threw it open wider. "What! When did this happen?"

"The first collapsed no more than five minutes ago." She quickly relayed Sakura's message as Hinata rushed to get dressed.

"Is that what that was?" Naruto murmured to himself, rubbing a hand over his stomach.

The two kunoichi froze and stared at him. "You're sick?" Hinata asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "Not really. I felt a little weird a bit ago, but it's gone now. The Kyuubi keeps me from being affected by things like that. I must have only gotten a little." He fumbled around for the rest of his clothes.

"What did you eat?" Tenten wanted to know. "Shikamaru is trying to identify the source."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I tried a little of everything." He shook his head, troubled. "Why didn't I sense what was happening?"

"Maybe it means no one's in serious danger yet," Tenten offered hopefully. She looked between the couple. "Maybe you were distracted…"

Both of their faces flushed bright pink. Hinata turned her head away and finished pulling on her boots. Then they ran outside, Hinata sprinting toward the clinic while Naruto and Tenten hurried back to the dining hall.

#

Naruto arrived at the scene to find the situation already coming under control. Kakashi was directing the movement of sick patients to an area that had been cleared for them. Sakura and the Suna medics were there tending to the worst cases, who were unconscious and convulsing. Shikamaru was interviewing the patients who could talk. Shizune looked worried as she held onto a weakened Genma while he threw up, and then helped him over to a place where he could lie down.

Kakashi saw him and made his way over. "I sent out a team to search the temple grounds for anyone who might have left the party before getting sick," he said.

"Good. Do we have any idea what happened?"

"Not yet. Sakura says this is the same poison the Moss nin used on us before, and thankfully she and Shizune were able to make an antidote weeks ago."

Naruto nodded. "Tenten said as much. Hinata's getting it right now." He looked around, counting about twenty people in various stages of illness. "It doesn't seem like anyone else is getting sick now. But how do we know it was just in the food? What if—"

"Most people were drinking the wine provided by the monks," Kakashi said, guessing his point. "If it had been in the drink we'd all be sick. Though it would be a good idea to check our water supply as well."

A quiet fury burned through Naruto at the possibility of what could have happened to his people tonight. "Do you think Moss agents have infiltrated the village?"

"It's the likeliest explanation. We need to investigate; they could still be lurking there."

"See to it, then. Take Naida and the other ANBU. And if you catch anyone…" he gave him a dark look, "bring them back alive."

Kakashi nodded and left. Naruto saw Hinata arrive and run over to Sakura with the antidote. After a minute she looked his way and their eyes met. He gave her a small, meaningful smile, which she returned, and for a moment he was flooded with so much love it pushed everything else to the background. Then she looked away and focused on her task.

He had work to do as well. Naruto watched her a moment longer, and then he went to go talk to Shikamaru.

* * *

The medics were able to stabilize the sick within a few hours. Twenty-three in all had been poisoned. The attack was intended to kill them all, but the antidote Sakura and Shizune had worked so hard to create saved all but two—a Sand nin who was allergic to the toxin the same as the first victim weeks ago had been, and another who had left the reception area and wasn't found until he'd suffered multiple organ failure and fallen into a coma. After the antidote was administered, those who were still considerably ill were moved to the clinic for continued care by the medics. The rest were taken to their rooms to rest and sleep through their fevers, with someone assigned to keep an eye on each of them in case anything went wrong.

Sakura was making the rounds when Shizune entered the clinic. They'd taken turns going back to their rooms to change out of their formal clothes, now that they had a chance to do so. Shizune

was gone for quite a while, but Sakura couldn't blame her for lingering at her sick husband's side.

She went over to her. "How is Genma?"

"He's sleeping. He has a fever like everyone else, but he'll be fine."

Sakura grasped her arm in sympathy. "I'm sorry your wedding was ruined," she said quietly.

Shizune gave a light shrug. "It wasn't ruined. It was beautiful and I couldn't have wished for better. The reception kind of sucked…and this definitely puts a damper on our plans for the wedding night, but…" She tried to smile, but it was weak and tired. She inhaled a shaky breath.

Sakura drew her into a hug. "It's alright now. You said it yourself; he'll be fine."

Shizune nodded against her shoulder. "Thanks."

They went back to work. There wasn't much to be done now, and they had four new medics from Suna to help as well, but the severe cases still required monitoring. Thanks to the antidote, the healing process was actually fairly simple. The hard part had been determining how much of the toxin was in each person's system in order to administer the right dose. They couldn't just inject everyone, and the individual assessments were what had taken time.

Shiko followed Sakura everywhere, fetching clean towels, blankets, extra supplies, and relaying messages. The latest report was that Shikamaru believed he'd narrowed down the source of the poison to a particular sweetcake made in the village. Kakashi had taken a team there to investigate how all of this had happened. Temari had contacted Suna as well, and they were using the teleport-relay system they'd set up when the Sand contingent first came to bring in clean food and water.

The clinic was divided with partitions for patient privacy. At the end of her round Sakura slipped into the last cubicle. Hanabi lay asleep on a cot, and next to her, sitting on a stool, was Sai. When he carried her in as the patients were being moved Sakura had told him he could stay, and so he had – for hours.

"Have there been any changes?" she asked him.

He was holding her hand. "She doesn't feel as hot as she did before," he said hopefully.

Sakura seated herself at the edge of the cot and checked Hanabi's vitals. "You're right. Her fever is down, and she's sleeping more restfully." She smiled at her teammate. "She's going to be fine."

Sai nodded. "Rationally, I know that. But for some reason I just…"

Sakura studied him as he watched the sick girl's sleeping face. She knew there was something going on between them, but she hadn't realized it had progressed so far. "How long have you guys been together?" she asked him.

"We're not…together. I think." He frowned slightly. "She kissed me. The night of the bonfire."

Sakura smiled. "Did you kiss back?"

He nodded slowly, recalling the moment. "I'd never done it before…but I think it went well."

She suppressed her amusement; his confusion was sweet, as was the little smile he didn't seem to realize he wore. "You don't know?"

"Nothing happened after that. I think she's waiting for me to do something. I know what's supposed to happen; I've read about it in books. But…"

"It's not that simple in reality."

He sighed softly. "Right."

"But you care for her a lot," Sakura encouraged. "That's why you're here."

He looked down at Hanabi again, and for a long minute the small space was silent except for her slightly labored breathing. Slowly, he reached out and smoothed the damp black hair sticking to her brow. "Yes," he admitted quietly. "I think…I think I love her." He looked back to Sakura. "But it's so confusing. I'm not sure I even really know what love is. How do you know?"

"People have been unable to define love for as long as it's existed. It's just something you know, Sai." She gave him a long look. "The one thing I _do_ know, is that you need to tell her. Don't waste your chance." She glanced down at the pale, feverish girl. "Because next time…"

Sai gazed across the cot at her. "You should take your own advice, Sakura."

He knew about what happened in Suna; it was impossible to keep it from him when all of his teammates were involved. But having the tables turned on her was not what she'd intended. "It's not the same," she dismissed quietly. "Kakashi and I are over."

Sai merely shrugged. "I admit I don't know much about these things, but it seems like that shouldn't really matter."

Sakura stood. "I have to check on the other patients." Sai didn't say anything as she left.

As she passed the next cubicle she looked over at Hinata, who gave her a small, sheepish smile. She didn't know if Sai had been aware, but the older Hyuuga sister had been just on the other side of the partition for some time, listening to every word. The other kunoichi silently fell into step with her.

"What do you think of _that_?" Sakura whispered amusedly.

"Sai seems like a good person," she whispered back. "I know he's very important to you and Naruto. And I know my sister likes him a lot. I think it's wonderful."

Sakura smiled as well, thinking of the changes the spirited Hanabi had brought about in her teammate. "Me too."

* * *

It was almost morning when Sakura left the clinic to find Naruto. "Where did you say he was?" she asked Shiko. She wanted to talk to him and exchange information about the night's events in person.

"The food place," said Shiko. "Where people got sick."

Sakura headed to the dining hall and found it looking like nothing ever happened; tables and chairs were upright, spilled food and wine had been cleaned up, the evidence of sickness washed away. Only the flower garlands remained strung up along the walls and rafters, a wilting reminder of a wonderful night gone wrong.

Naruto was sitting on top of a table, holding a broken wine jug in his hands, his head bowed in deep thought. He looked up when he sensed her approach. "Hey. How is everyone?"

"Still stable," she said. "Most should be up and moving around by tomorrow." She hopped up onto the table next to him. Shiko went underneath, sniffing around.

He smiled. "That's great. How are you and the other medics doing?"

"The Sand medics are doing a lot to ease the workload. I'm sure they told you there was no trace of poison in the water supply, so we can rest easy about that. Has there been any word back from the village?"

Naruto nodded gravely, but then hesitated, clearly reluctant to say more.

Sakura had to press him. "What is it?"

"…They hit the village too. For helping us."

"What?" Sakura jumped up off the table. "We have to go down there!"

"No," Naruto said behind her.

She whipped around and stared at him. "What do you mean, _no_? If civilians are sick and dying because of us then we need to help them!"

"It wasn't Moss. The villagers reported no visitors with foreign accents. Kakashi thinks it was Root, using Moss poison." He came forward and held her arm, gently but firmly. "Think about it, Sakura. Why would they care about poisoning a tiny village of farmers?"

The possibilities turned over in her mind. A sickening feeling twisted her stomach in knots. "To lure us out… To lure the _medics_ out…" she answered hollowly.

He nodded. "You're tired and drained, but you want to go anyway. They know this too. They're _counting_ on it. Danzou knows how critical our medics are to us."

She stared at him with mounting horror. "Are you saying this _entire__thing_ was a ploy to target us medics?"

"Shikamaru and Kakashi both think it might be. At least that was the main objective – with an added bonus of whoever else they could kill in the process."

Sakura ran her hands through her hair in dismay. "I can't believe this."

"Can't you?" he said bitterly. "It's Danzou."

Sakura collected herself, her expression firm. "It doesn't matter. We have to help them."

She turned to go, but Naruto held onto her arm. "_You__can__'__t_," he repeated. "There are assassins in the jungle and the village; there's a team out there hunting them right now. I know how hard this is, but until it's safe you _can__'__t_ leave."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

Naruto's jaw clenched. "Yes, Sakura. I know what I'm saying."

Sakura shook her head imploringly. "We can't just leave them to die…"

He was struggling with this as much as she was, but he didn't yield. He couldn't. "We're at war, Sakura. This is the world we live in. Sometimes hard choices have to be made."

For a long moment Sakura could only stare at him, stunned. "I never thought I'd hear such jaded words from _you_…"

"I want to help those villagers as much as you do—but not at the risk of our own people. I'm sorry. You have to stay here."

Sakura couldn't quite believe this was actually happening. Naruto had never spoken to her this way. "Are you _ordering_ me?"

Naruto gave her a long, hard look. "Yes," he said rigidly. "…As your Hokage I forbid you to leave this temple until I say otherwise."

He had never spoken it before, never put a title to the responsibility and authority he already carried. But he was the chosen leader of his people, and the shinobi of the Leaf knew their leader as Hokage.

Sakura opened her mouth, and then snapped it shut, her eyes burning. She stiffened and executed a formal bow. "As you say, Hokage-sama." Then she turned and stomped away, her ninken following on her heels.

Naruto took her formality as the blow it was meant to be. He wanted comrades, not servants, and the last thing he ever wanted was for his closest friends to feel subordinate. But if that was what it took to save her life, then he could live with it. When it came to protecting his people…apparently he could live with just about anything.

He sat back down and tiredly rubbed his eyes. The past two years had changed them all in ways they were only beginning to realize, and it still wasn't clear if it was for better or worse.

* * *

Sakura stormed to the bathhouse in a fury, not knowing where else to go. She was too keyed up to even try to sleep, and too agitated to be around the resting patients in the clinic.

She filled the bath with hot water from the spring, and as she waited for it to fill she stripped down and hurled every article of clothing at the floor in a huff. She climbed in, not caring if it was still too hot, and submerged herself underwater until she couldn't stand it anymore and popped back up with a gasp. She leaned back against the side and closed her eyes, willing herself to relax and calm down.

She couldn't believe Naruto had _forced_ her to stay at the temple. He had never treated her that way before. He'd never had to, because they hadn't butted heads on an issue since he'd come into a position to enforce his will. And she couldn't believe it was something like _this_ that they fought about! Naruto was the one who always took reckless action in spite of common sense, and Sakura or others tried to make him see the practical side of things. Not the other way around.

She was furious with him, both for what he'd done, and why. She knew deep down that he wasn't indifferent to the villager's suffering, and that it was immensely difficult for him to make that call. He understood – as Sakura did – that there was a lot more to this than their immediate situation. This wasn't about their lives over the lives of the villagers. In the end this was about their purpose in being here, their reason for fighting. If they lost the war they lost everything, and the people left behind in Konoha would be the ones to suffer for it.

Sakura had once said she would do a lot more than steal a few medical supplies in order to take back their home. This was the test of that conviction.

She stayed in the bath so long she ended up dozing off, and woke when she heard birds chirping outside. Shiko was gone, probably back to her own world. The water was still lukewarm, so she couldn't have been asleep that long. She decided to go back to her room to try and get some rest. Tomorrow—or later today, rather—was going to be another long, exhausting day.

As she exited the bathhouse a Sand kunoichi she didn't know approached her. The look on the woman's face warned that she intended a confrontation. "You're the head medic aren't you?" she demanded, stopping well within Sakura's personal space.

"Yes…" Sakura answered. "Is something wrong?"

The other woman's eyes welled with tears. "How could you?" she ground out. "How could you let him die?"

Sakura was stunned. "What—I didn't let anyone—"

"My Kaito!" the woman cried, moving closer, flailing her hands in distress. "Why didn't you save my husband? Why did he die when everyone else lived? _Why?_"

She must be talking about the Sand shinobi who had the fatal allergic reaction, Sakura realized. Anaphylactic shock was deadly enough, but with a fast acting, highly lethal poison as the cause, simultaneously raging through and doing its own damage…it was over from the beginning. But she couldn't say that to the distraught woman without upsetting her more. She raised her hands, defensive and placating at once. "There was nothing we could do," she explained gently. "He was allergic to the toxin and went into shock—"

"Aren't you supposedly the best medic in Fire country? You didn't do enough! You didn't try hard enough to save him because he wasn't one of your own! We come here to help you and you let our people die!"

The kunoichi closed in on her threateningly. Sakura took a step back, using all of her willpower to stay calm and not make the situation worse. "Please calm down. I know how hard this is, and I'm sorry for your loss—"

"You're just a kid! You know _nothing_!" She struck out at her.

Sakura caught her fist and shoved it downward, her patience run out. "Stop," she warned sternly. "I won't tell you again."

The Sand kunoichi didn't back down. "Go to hell! This is _your_ fault—"

She struck out again, but this time it wasn't Sakura who blocked her. Suddenly Kakashi was standing between them, holding the woman's forearm with one hand while pressing on her shoulder with the other. Tenzou was with him, and moved behind her.

"Enough," Kakashi told her calmly, but the look he gave her was a clear warning. "What is your name?"

The kunoichi glared at him angrily, but after a moment she relaxed and he let her go. "Shimada Yue," she muttered.

"Yue-san…you know the medics did all they could for everyone. The blame lies with the enemy who did this to us."

Yue looked away, her face rigid as she struggled not to cry. At last she seemed to deflate. "I know," she said weakly. She looked around Kakashi at Sakura, and muttered, "Sorry. I didn't mean it."

"It's alright," Sakura answered, though inside she was still tense and a bit shaken up.

Kakashi gave Tenzou a look. He came forward and laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Come on," he urged quietly. "I'll take you back to your room."

"No," she said miserably. "I want to see him…"

Tenzou hesitated, unsure whether that was a good idea. He exchanged glances with his teammates, and when neither objected, he nodded and led her away.

#

Kakashi turned to Sakura as she pressed her hands to her eyes and took a deep, weary breath. Her fingers were trembling. The death of a patient always weighed heavily on her, and the altercation had affected her more than she wanted to show. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She didn't stiffen at his touch, and so he eased his hand a little more toward her back. She bowed her head and leaned toward him slightly, he slipped his arm around her, and they mutually eased into an embrace.

"You know she was just lashing out in grief," he said softly. His hand stroked between her shoulder blades. "Don't take it to heart."

She nodded against him. "I know."

He held her longer than he should have, past the point of platonic comfort. It was a struggle to let her go, to not pull her closer. When he finally drew away she seemed just as reluctant to part, which made it all the harder. She tried to hide the tears in her eyes, and he pretended he hadn't noticed, though inside it was like a kick in the gut.

Sakura turned her face away and wiped discreetly at her eyes, hoping he would think it was just stress and exhaustion. Truthfully it was because of him; the wave of feelings that rushed through her at his presence, his gentle words and the caring look in his eyes, the weight of his arm around her…it was almost too much to take.

They stood there indecisively for a moment, before he asked, "Where were you heading?"

"My room. I was going to try and get some sleep, but who knows if that will happen now…"

He escorted her to the dorms. He never really intended to do more than that, but he found himself walking her to her door, and then following her inside. Shiko was already in there and looked at them curiously when they entered, her dark eyes lingering longest on Kakashi.

"I wondered where you'd gone," Sakura said to her.

"Sleepy," the pup replied without lifting her head from her paws.

Sakura was too tired to change, and only removed her boots before lying down on the futon. She looked up at Kakashi, surprised that he was still there. "I thought you were out tracking Root."

"I came back to report to Naruto," he replied. "He asked me to check on you before I go out again."

She frowned resentfully. "He actually asked you to _check__up_ on me?"

"No," he said calmly, "he asked me to make sure you're okay."

She looked up at the ceiling. "No I'm not okay. He _forbid_ me to leave the temple."

Kakashi hesitated a moment before sitting at the edge of her bed. "You understand why…"

"Yes," she sighed. "But do you know how hard it is for me to accept it? That somehow _my_ life is more important than those of innocent villagers?"

He gazed down at her. "I know. If I knew with absolute certainty that I could protect you from any harm I would take you there myself, right now. You know Naruto would do the same. It's just too dangerous."

Her eyes searched his face, looking for some sign of what she thought she heard in his voice. Why was he here? Did it mean anything? If she asked him to stay…would he? She couldn't bring herself to ask.

Sakura turned on her side, facing him. "Keeping our distance from the village until it's safe to help them feels so wrong… But at the same time, knowingly walking into a trap meant to kill medics and potentially cripple us beyond any hope of victory, abandoning Konoha to whatever fate Danzou inflicts on it is _also_ wrong."

"Sometimes there is no right answer" he said quietly. "Only two wrong ones that have to be weighed against each other. No matter what we do, someone, somewhere is going to lose. That's the ugly nature of war."

"'This is the world we live in...'" she murmured. "That's what Naruto said. I couldn't believe something like that would ever come out of _his_ mouth. But I also know he's right. This is the life we chose. We have to accept what it means to live it."

Kakashi didn't reply. The bitter acceptance in her eyes was hard for him to see, and he wished he could somehow spare her that disillusionment. It was something they all came to eventually; even idealists like Naruto realized there were some things that couldn't be changed. He had no words of comfort to offer her.

Sakura sighed. "Do you ever wish you had just become a teacher or something?"

"Hmm. I've kind of proven that I suck at teaching." He tilted his chin thoughtfully. "I think I would make a pretty good farmer though…" That got her to smile, which was what he intended.

"I can totally see you as a librarian," she said. "You could sit around reading all day…and you'd wear glasses and a sweater-vest. Maybe even a bow-tie."

Kakashi smiled. "Huh. Would I get to throw things at pesky kids who made too much noise?"

"Of course."

"Sounds pretty sweet…maybe I should consider retiring." Glad that her mood was lifting, he encouraged the shift toward lighter thoughts. "What about you? Think you'd be a doctor?"

She pondered it for a moment. "It was only seeing my teammates nearly die a few dozen times that made me want to be a healer. If I'd never become a ninja I think…" a hint of mirth crossed her face, "I think I would have tried my hand at writing romance novels."

"I like the sound of that. Would they be anything like Icha Icha?"

She snorted softly. "I said romance, not smut."

"A very narrow distinction. Have you ever actually read Icha Icha?"

"Yes. I lifted one of yours last month. You never even noticed."

He gave her an amused look. "So you think."

"Anyway, sappy melodramatic nonsense interspersed with graphic sex scenes is hardly romantic."

"Hmm, I don't know…" he mused. "Despite the encounters with random strangers, the main hero's true love interest is always the busty assassin Junko, who is obviously modeled after Tsunade… That's kind of romantic."

She smiled faintly. "Yeah, I guess it is. It's also a little sad. Jiraiya never got his girl in the end because they were both too stubborn to admit they loved each other."

She went quiet, her mood sunk by the uncomfortable parallel she'd just drawn. Though it wasn't really the same, because Kakashi didn't love her. The reality of that was like a crushing weight in her chest. She couldn't look at him anymore. After only a few minutes with him, he'd made her cry, then laugh, and then ache like their breakup happened yesterday. A wave of fatigue washed over her, and she closed her eyes with a sigh. "So tired…"

Kakashi squeezed her arm, and softly told her, "Get some sleep." She was completely out in less than a minute. He didn't get up to leave, just continued to watch her sleeping face, his hand still resting on her arm.

What she'd said a moment ago…she may as well have driven a knife into his chest. He'd never wanted to hurt her, but it seemed to be all he was capable of doing. And his reasons for ending things between them seemed to matter less every day. He still felt the same about her as he had a month ago. In fact, those feelings were stronger. He thought back to less than twelve hours ago when he first saw her at the wedding, how beautiful she'd been in that red yukata, her hair falling in soft waves across her back, glowing in the fading sunlight. How badly he'd wanted to touch her in that brief moment before the ceremony, to pull her to him and kiss those full red lips. It had taken all of his willpower to resist the urge. Yet it wasn't her considerable physical appeal that kept drawing him in. It never had been.

Sakura had crept up on him slowly. Over years and years she'd chipped away at his defensive barriers with her sincerity, their similar sense of humor, and her ability to simply understand him without a lot of trivial words. One day he'd just looked around and realized she had gotten inside, under his skin. Now, when he tried to imagine what his life would be like without her in it, he couldn't. She had taken root in him.

Kakashi slowly brought his hand up and smoothed his fingers over her hair, then down her face, lightly touching the outer corner of her lips. Shiko eyed him watchfully from her spot at the foot of the bed, but he only spared her a glance.

What was he doing here? He needed to keep his distance and at least pretend to be indifferent…but he couldn't. And it wasn't fair to her. Sometimes she looked at him with so much cautious hope in her eyes it was painful to even look at her. It was outright cruel, and he hated himself for what he had done to their relationship. They were both miserable this way, just as she'd said they would be. He'd screwed things up so badly between them.

He exhaled a quiet sigh. Tenzou would be waiting for him by now. He looked down at Sakura again, and carefully leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. He lingered there, breathing her in, remembering the feel of her skin against his, knowing it would have to sustain him for a long time. He wanted to kiss her lips, just for a second, but it wasn't right…and she wouldn't want him to.

Kakashi stood, gazed down at the sleeping kunoichi one last time, and silently left the room to face the long, unpleasant day ahead.

* * *

TBC


	22. At the End of the Day

So sorry about the long wait. Behind the scenes issues. XD

There's new art for the story on my profile, be sure to check it out!

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-two: At the End of the Day

* * *

Root tactics differed from standard Leaf military protocols in a few fundamental ways. There were no set teams in Root; agents were selected individually for missions and often had no prior experience with each other, and sometimes wouldn't recognize each other without masks. Without a sense of identity they had no concept of self-interest or self-preservation, and being kept apart suppressed any bonding tendencies that might interfere with a mission. The indoctrination ran so deep that they would even turn on each other if ordered to. They would not fight to save a comrade, and would leave one of their own behind without a second thought.

Kakashi knew all of this from Sai. It made his job of hunting them down rather easy.

The villagers admitted to seeing strangers recently, but everyone had assumed they were with the rebels; with all the coming and going that week in preparation for the wedding, there were bound to be faces they didn't recognize. Root had taken advantage of that to blend in and set up their trap. The village was in chaos after the attack, though not as many were sick as at the temple. A thorough search of every building revealed nothing, but then, when they had nearly given up, on the outskirts of the village Kiba and Akamaru picked up a faint scent trail leading out into the jungle. They followed it for nearly a mile and discovered a hastily abandoned camp, which, judging by the size, had been occupied by a large group. Akamaru and Kakashi's ninken came to a consensus of about twenty different human scents, which had scattered into four groups as they fled. Hunting parties were formed to track them down. Kakashi led one team, using his ninken and their advanced tracking skills. Tenzou was leading another team that included Hinata—a risk, but she'd wanted to help catch the people who'd poisoned Hanabi, and her Byakugan was a great help. Naida had taken Kiba with his team, and Ruka had Kiba's sister Hana with hers.

Kakashi and his team were in pursuit the entire day, and by nightfall they were uncomfortably close to Leaf patrolled territory. Their quarry had tried to split up twice, but the break-offs were run down and eliminated within minutes. Root's primary mission now was not to fight, but to get back to Konoha and report what happened to Danzou. They would not make a stand or help anyone who fell behind. Because of that, they were being picked off one by one.

Kakashi had never seen shinobi operate with such little care for themselves or their comrades. Their training took the concept of detaching from emotion to the far side of extreme.

An hour before sunset his team caught up to the last three enemy nin. A brief skirmish ensued, but the Root agents were restrained and searched without much difficulty. Searching the bodies of the other three had brought up tranquilizers, chakra-binding wires, and other equipment for capture and transport. It seemed they hadn't been sent to kill the medics, but to bring them back to Konoha. It made sense that Danzou wouldn't want to waste a valuable medic when he could just brainwash them into compliance. He'd already tried it on Sakura and Shizune once.

It disgusted and angered Kakashi that human beings, even the soldiers of Root, could have their free will stripped from them, turned into obedient tools. He allowed his subordinates to question the captives, and watched and listened for a while to their increasingly aggressive but ultimately futile attempts to get information. Eventually he walked away, remaining within earshot but going far enough that their voices faded to a distant drone. Two of his dogs followed, casually weaving around him in circles. They always knew when he wasn't entirely alright.

Today his mind seemed to wander elsewhere every chance it got. He'd been thinking a lot about his life lately, about the path he had traveled to be where he was today.

As he was leaving the Fire Temple early this morning, people were just beginning to rise from a mostly sleepless night. A severe quiet permeated the temple grounds in stark contrast to the wedding party's boisterous cheer only a few hours earlier, before the chaos of the poisoning attack. Such paradoxical moments were the norm these days. Bouts of intense joy with people desperately grasping at whatever happiness they could find while it lasted…followed by periods of pervasive melancholy, heavy silences filled with all the things no one knew how to express.

Most shinobi only lived long enough to see one war in their lifetime. Kakashi was still in his prime, but he had seen and done things that left him aged in other ways. Hidden villages loved their prodigies, and Konoha had thrust him into the spotlight as a shining star when most civilian kids were still learning to ride a bicycle. The attention, the expectation, the pressure not to fail…he'd always hated all of it, so it was odd that he found himself reminiscing about years past. He was older now, and slower, more easily fatigued and more easily damaged. Of course he wouldn't be retiring anytime soon; Jiraiya and Tsunade were formidable into their fifties, and the Sandaime even longer. But the time had come for him to pass the torch to the younger generation, to take a supporting role instead of starring one. He found he was kind of looking forward to it. After a lifetime of fighting he would welcome a small measure of peace, where finding a quiet spot to read for hours undisturbed wouldn't be a luxury, but normality.

As he watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon, his thoughts strayed to Sakura. To that quiet moment in her room this morning. Just those few moments of halfhearted levity had done so much for his state of mind. He had wanted to stay, to tell her everything he was thinking and feeling. He understood now that he had changed, quite recently and without realizing. For the first time in his life he actually wanted to share himself with another person. The problem was in bringing himself to act upon those feelings. One minute he needed to run away from Sakura and everything she represented, and the very next he wanted to run back and embrace it all. Then that same old feeling would rear its head and he needed distance again. And then all he had to do was look at her and his resolve started to crumble.

Forcing a distance that neither of them wanted was tearing him apart. He was barely functioning like this, but he didn't know what else to do.

It seemed so simple, the way Sakura put it. Just _be together_, and deal with whatever comes along the way. She had no idea how that kind of open uncertainty terrified him. She wanted him to assume that it would all work out. Just like he had once assumed his father would see him grow up. Like he'd assumed Obito would be around to annoy him forever. Experience had taught him never to assume. It was dangerous to hope for an outcome you couldn't guarantee. Yet despite all reason, he found himself wanting to take the risk, with the _hope_ that it could be different this time. He honestly never expected to find what he had with Sakura. He'd always been sure that if he lived long enough to grow old, he would do it alone. He liked being alone; liked the quiet, the freedom, and most of all the lack of expectation. He couldn't let anyone down. He couldn't be hurt.

He never really thought about it before, never had a reason to, but the past few weeks had forced him to recognize what a lonely life he led. He had always thought he was okay as he was. They say you can't miss what you've never had, and maybe that was true. But now that he'd had a taste of what his life could be like, he knew that he wanted it. He wanted it because it would be with _her_.

Was it too late to fix the mess he had made?

He heard one of his squad members coming up behind him, and turned around. It seemed they had given up on trying to get anything out of their captives.

"Hatake-taichou…it's no use. Danzou's got them reined in so tight they might as well not have tongues."

"In a sense, they don't," he replied, thinking of the seal that still prevented Sai from giving away Danzou's secrets. He'd figured they would get nothing, and only allowed them to do it because they'd been running hard for nearly twelve hours and could use a few minutes of rest before heading back.

"What do you want us to do with them? Same as the others?"

"No. At least one has to be brought back alive. Even if they won't talk, Aoba may be able to get something out of their heads." He wondered how the other teams had fared, and what their prisoner situation would be. Bringing them all back was impossible; even if they could tactically manage it, they didn't have the resources to keep so many hostile agents under constant guard.

"I'll confirm with Naruto," he decided. "In the meantime, use the tranquilizers you found on them to knock them out."

Kakashi sent Naruto an interrogative via summons, a method they'd used often in the early days of the rebellion when they were separated for long periods. In ten minutes or so his ninken came back with an answer, and he returned to the others. "Naruto wants all three brought back." His squad grumbled about the burden of carrying their captives all the way home. Kakashi was unmoved. Rank had its privileges, and on days like today he felt no guilt about using it. "You may want to keep those tranqs handy," he added blithely. "We have a long trip back."

#

They arrived at the temple late in the night and took their prisoners to the heavily guarded building that had been set up to hold them. Kakashi left the squad to handle the transition of the prisoners, and went to find Naruto. He found him in the dining hall, surrounded by a stack of files and papers, drinking a cup of black coffee. _Strong_ coffee, by the smell of it.

Naruto looked up at him. "How'd it go?"

"Easy enough. They're being handed over as we speak."

"Good. We'll start interrogations in the morning." He gestured at the bench. "Take a seat."

Kakashi sat, bracing himself for bad news or another taxing mission. Naruto didn't seem troubled though, and when he didn't say anything else, Kakashi glanced at the carafe and asked, "Does that even do anything for you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, but I've grown to like the taste of it anyway. Want some?"

"That depends. Do I need the caffeine? Sounds like you have another job for me."

"I do, but not until morning. You know Hinata is with Tenzou right now, and the range on her Byakugan is crazy huge…" He gave a wickedly excited smile. "She spotted a bunker just east of the Fire border, only twenty or so miles from here. It's crawling with Moss _and_ Root. Tenzou's team is still out there, but one of them brought back all the info they could get on the place. It's all here." He slid a closed manila envelope across the table. "I want you and Sai to recon that compound, find out how many there are and what they're doing."

Kakashi opened the envelope and briefly scanned over the sketches and notes. "You want to retaliate."

"Don't you? Twenty miles is _way_ too close for comfort; we can't just leave it alone. Besides, it's time we stopped letting these bastards kick us around. We're ready to go on the offensive."

Kakashi nodded. "Has Sai been briefed?"

"Yep. He'll be waiting for you at the gates at dawn."

Kakashi suppressed a sigh. Six hours. That was all the rest he was going to get. He nodded, put the mission details back in the envelope, and stood.

Naruto gave him an appraising once-over. "You look like hell."

"Can't imagine why," he returned flatly.

"I know you've been run ragged the last few days, but it can't be helped," he said ruefully. "Tenzou and Hinata are still out, Hanabi's still sick…."

"We're all run ragged. I'm not complaining."

"And you never will," Naruto sighed. "That's not a good thing, in your case. Just don't push yourself so far that you fall off the edge. When was the last time you slept?"

Kakashi glanced around vacantly, trying to recall the last time he closed his eyes for more than a few seconds. The night before the wedding, maybe.

"If you can't even remember then you need to hit the rack." Naruto waved him off. "Go. That's an order."

Kakashi turned and headed toward the billets, moving silent as a ghost through the dark temple grounds. The crickets and frogs were noisy tonight, and boldly continued their songs even as he passed by. His response to Naruto might have been slow, but he did vaguely know how long he'd been up and running—somewhere around forty hours. He was tired down in his bones, and all he wanted in the world right now was Sakura. He ached for her like a part of himself was missing.

The truth was it didn't matter how much distance he forced between them. It changed nothing, protected no one. What they had couldn't be diminished by something so trivial. She was right about that. Right about everything.

So he decided to go to her.

He didn't care anymore about all the reasons he had for keeping her away. In the face of truth they floated away like burnt-up scraps of paper. None of it mattered at the end of the day, because all he wanted was to lie down beside her and hold her in his arms. He moved down the hall, opened his own door and dropped his gear, and then went to her room. He eased the door open, slipped inside, and closed it behind him without making a sound.

Sakura was in bed, her back to him. He knew she was awake, waiting to see what he would do.

Kakashi wasn't sure what he would do either, nor was he sure how she would react to him being here. He didn't exactly have a plan. All he knew right now was that he was _so_ tired; he just wanted to sleep next to her again. He pulled his mask down as he crossed the room, and carefully lowered himself onto the bed behind her. Sakura didn't move, but he felt her alertness, the slight tension she was making an effort to conceal. Taking the fact that she had let him get this far as a good sign, he inched closer and carefully settled his hand over her waist, hugged her back against his chest. He closed his eyes, breathed in the scent of her, soaked in her warmth, and suddenly he felt _right_ again.

Several seconds slipped by, and then very quietly, as if breaking the silence might shatter some illusion, Sakura whispered, "Kakashi…what are you doing?"

He couldn't answer immediately, because he honestly didn't know. "I just…needed you," he murmured. "Do you want me to leave?"

She shook her head faintly, brought her hand up to grasp his forearm, holding him in place. "You need me…?"

He nodded against her hair. "I don't know how to stop. I don't want to."

From the moment Sakura felt his weight on the bed behind her she had struggled to hold herself together. The sincere emotion in his voice pulled at her heart. Why was he doing this? When she was finally able to respond, her voice sounded miserable to her own ears. "Then why do you keep pushing me away?"

Kakashi drew her closer, as if in defiance of the truth of her words. "I don't know," he answered just as unhappily. "Sometimes I don't even realize when I'm doing it. When people get too close I just get this feeling...like if I let my guard down for even a moment, something terrible will happen."

Sakura slowly traced the veins along his forearm with her fingertips, and thought carefully. He had started pulling away from her after the big battle. Had he been triggered by that somehow…did seeing all those dead remind him of the last war, when he lost people again and again? It wasn't her area of expertise, but as a medical professional she knew something about the lasting effects of post-traumatic stress. She probably had some of it herself. They all must, on some level. At its worst it destroyed people; their careers, their families, and sometimes their very lives.

Kakashi eased up on his elbow so he could see her better. "Do you believe in curses?"

Slowly, Sakura turned onto her back and looked up into his face, wishing it wasn't partly obscured by shadow. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone I care about dies. Whenever I get close to anyone…they're ripped away." His fingertips brushed over her cheek. "If I lost you…I don't think I could handle it."

She reached for his hand and held it. "I can see how you might believe that," she said gently, "but it's not true. I'm still here. So are Naruto and Sai. Tenzou and Genma and Shizune are still here, after all these years. Not everyone can say they have that many people who care about them. You're blessed with an abundance of people who love you, Kakashi, and when you lose one of them you feel their loss deeply because they were important to you. It's not a curse."

He gazed down at her for a long moment. "How do you always know exactly what to say to me?"

Sakura smiled sadly and looked away, at the wall. "I don't. If I did I would have kept you from giving up on us."

He breathed a repentant sigh. "I'm sorry." He softly traced her hairline. "I never wanted to hurt you like that."

"I guess I gave up on us too," she admitted quietly. "I didn't want to, but I'm not the same foolish girl who will waste years chasing after someone who doesn't want me."

"I never stopped wanting you. It was never that." He lowered his head to hers, slipped his arm around her again. Sakura didn't respond or look at him. He could tell she didn't know what to believe. Most days he wanted her so badly he couldn't stand it. He just wanted to be near her, to talk to her and listen to her tell him about her day. He wanted her to touch him and smile like she used to when he made her happy. He wanted to make her happy again, more than anything. But he couldn't find a way to tell her those things. "You were right about me," he murmured into her hair. "I don't know any other way to live."

Sakura turned toward him again, and slowly, a faint gleam of hope appeared in her eyes. "It can be different. …Do you want to try?"

Kakashi looked into her eyes and nodded that he did. She smiled softly, and the gentle pressure of her fingertips against his jaw drew him closer until their lips met in a slow, lingering kiss. He held her hand against his face, pressed his lips against her palm and sank down into her arms as she cradled his head in her hands.

Her fingers began to gently comb through his hair. He slid down further, rested his head against her chest, closed his eyes and breathed a slow, drawn out sigh. "I always love when you do that…"

Sakura smiled knowingly. There was something about his perpetually messy hair that always made her want to run her fingers through it, and whenever she did, he would utterly relax like this. Within moments his breathing grew deep and even, and she knew he was asleep. She closed her eyes as well, loving the feel of his weight against her and his arms around her once again, and continued to comb her fingers through his thick hair until the soothing, repetitive motion lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Sakura's favorite moments with Kakashi were when they would first wake up, before the world intruded. He was so calm and open then, more truly himself in those private moments than at any other time in the day. She loved the drowsy affectionate way he looked at her, the way they sometimes pulled the sheets over their heads to block out the light, snuggled closer and pretended they were allowed to fall back asleep. She loved the way he would hover over her and kiss her good morning, how his unshaven chin would tickle her cheek or her neck—or other places, if he was feeling frisky. She had missed those moments more than she thought possible.

This morning she woke to an empty bed.

It was as if she had dreamed last night. She almost wished she had. It would be easier to accept than the reality that Kakashi had come to her and said those things, fallen asleep in her arms like everything was right again…and then sneaked away without a word of explanation. The disappointment was crushing. How could he keep doing this to her? One minute he was so warm and affectionate, and then he could become so cold and detached, like he just shut it off.

But he _couldn't_ shut it off…that's why he kept coming back.

In the end, it didn't matter. If they were just going to keep going in circles she needed to put a stop to it once and for all. No matter how much she wanted to be with him, she wouldn't keep playing this game.

#

After the daily status reports were given, Naruto got right to what was on everyone's minds. "We haven't been as careful as we should have been, and we've paid for it," he said frankly. "We let our guard down in certain areas because we underestimated how low our enemy would sink. I never paid attention to the history lectures in school, but even _I _know the shinobi world makes a big effort to hide their activities from the civilian world. That's why they're called _secret_ wars. Killing civilians because they helped us is just…" He shook his head angrily.

"Danzou and his allies have consistently used demoralizing tactics rather than direct offense," Shikamaru said. "Coming at you from every direction but the front is what Root does. This attempt to abduct our medics is probably something that's been in the works for a long time. They just needed an opportunity."

"Twenty seems like a pretty small force to kidnap three powerful shinobi." Temari said. "Sakura, when they took you before, how many were there?"

Sakura remembered the details of that night like it was yesterday. "Twelve."

"Twelve just for her," she said to the group. "How could they expect to take her with less this time? You see what I mean?"

"A larger force would have been easily noticed," said Tenzou.

"They must have been counting on the element of surprise and our weakened state after healing so many people," Shizune suggested.

"I'm sure that's true," Temari said. "But my point is, it seems like a pretty big gamble for something so important to them. What if there are more out there, holding back until we relax again?"

"The patrols have been tripled," Naruto answered. "If there's anything out there besides monkeys and giant bugs we'll find it. And we won't be relaxing again. In fact we have a lot of work to do. We're going on the offensive."

Everyone's faces mirrored equal parts excitement and doubt. Tenzou said, "We don't have the numbers to mount an offensive campaign. That's why we've been out here so long; trying to find an alternate method of victory."

Naruto grinned. "No one said anything about a campaign. We're outnumbered at least ten to one, and when you're up against a giant you don't poke at it with little sticks. All you need is one hard and heavy blow to the head. And now with Suna's help we finally have the ability to do it."

"What do you have in mind?"

He looked around the circle. "You all remember what happened at the chuunin exams seven years ago…"

#

After the meeting Naruto caught up with Sakura outside. "What's wrong? You barely said a word in there. You seem upset…"

For a long moment she debated if she wanted to talk about it, and they walked together in silence. Finally she blurted, "It's Kakashi."

Naruto huffed. "Again? I swear if he keeps this up I'm gonna kick the crap out of him. What happened this time?"

"He came to my room last night, and we talked. I thought we'd worked some things out. I thought it would be better now, that maybe we could… But when I woke up this morning he was gone. Without a word."

"That's—" He stopped midstride and slapped his hand against his forehead. "Shit. It's not his fault, Sakura. It's mine. I sent him out." He looked at her guiltily. "Last night I told him to leave at dawn on a recon with Sai. Don't be mad at him. At least not about this."

Knowing the truth wasn't as reassuring as it once would have been. Kakashi had known last night that he would be leaving, but hadn't considered that detail to be important. "He still could have told me," she said sullenly.

"He'll be back tonight," Naruto assured. "Then you can work it out. I'm sure if he had a choice he'd be in bed asleep for a week." He ran his hand through his hair tiredly. "I know that's what I wish for right now…"

Sakura looked at him then—really _looked_ at him—and saw how weary and stressed out he was. Everything that was happening right now…it was hardest on him because he was responsible for everyone. It was a burden she would never wish to bear. "Sorry about the other night," she said. "You were right. It was just hard to accept."

"It's alright. It was hard to do. I wish I never had to make those kinds of decisions. But the village is clear and under heavy guard now, so you and the other medics can go down there. Just be on your guard at all times."

Sakura nodded. "I will." Naruto walked her to the clinic, and then she rounded up a team of medics and prepared to head out.

* * *

She spent the rest of the day healing the civilians who survived the worst of the attack, beginning with the youngest, whose systems were less able to compensate. There were fewer victims here in the village, and the resident healer had given them a solution of liquefied charcoal that prevented much of the toxin from entering their systems. Most were unconscious with high fevers, but there had been a few deaths. Sakura felt guilty for every one of them.

Late in the afternoon as she was finishing up and leaving the home of her last patient, she had an unexpected visitor. There was a soft hiss and curl of smoke on the ground a few feet before her, and suddenly Pakkun was there looking up at her. She nearly dropped the box of supplies she was carrying.

"Hello, Sakura," he said in his gruff voice.

"Pakkun," she exclaimed. "How did you know where I was?"

"The summoning contract," he said as if it was obvious. "Though Kakashi is my master, the blood-link still binds us to you in a lesser way. We will always be able to find you."

Kakashi had mentioned something to that effect, she recalled. It was reassuring to know the ninken would always be there for her if she was in trouble. But it also meant that Kakashi could use them to track her down, whether she wanted him to or not.

This led her to another thought. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he assured. "I just want to talk to you. Are you busy?"

"Not anymore." She looked at him suspiciously. "Did Kakashi send you? Because if he did you can just go back and tell him to talk to me himself."

"Yeah," Shiko chimed in, indignant on her master's behalf. "Tell him don't send ninken to do his dirty work."

"He didn't send me," the older dog said. "I promise I came here on my own."

That was unusual, to say the least. She wondered what could have prompted this independent visit. "Alright," she said, and gestured for him to walk with her. They moved toward a bench nearby in the shade of a large palm.

"Shiko," Pakkun said as they walked, "how have you been? The pack has been asking about you. Especially Shiba and Choco. They wonder if you would like to spend some time with them."

Shiko eyed him warily. "Why…?"

"You and Sakura are part of our pack," he said simply. "We care about you. Besides, Shiba and Choco are young and boisterous; they grow bored with the rest of us. And they can be quite irritating when they're bored. Will you consider it?"

Shiko looked at him cautiously. "Maybe," she said slowly. A moment later she amended herself. "Okay."

Sakura smiled. Her little pup was coming into her own, but she still had trust issues, particularly with male ninken. This was a good start. She sat on the bench, and Pakkun jumped up next to her so that they were more on a level. "Okay," she said. "What did you want to talk about?"

He didn't skirt the issue. "Are you going to forgive Kakashi?"

Sakura gave him a look. "You said this wasn't about Kakashi."

"I said he didn't _send_ me. I've noticed how miserable he is lately. We all have."

She didn't answer him. She thought she _had_ forgiven Kakashi, last night, when he held her in his arms and told her with such genuine sincerity that he wanted her back. Then she woke up in a cold, empty bed. Even if he had a good reason for it, the fact that he hadn't said anything told her he hadn't thought about what she might conclude, waking up alone like that. He still didn't consider her feelings.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it," she said finally. "I tried. So many times, I've tried to get through to him. It was his choice, not mine."

Pakkun nodded knowingly. "He's a fool like that sometimes. He seems to think he doesn't deserve to be happy. But he cares about you very much."

Sakura sighed. "I know he does. But does _he_ know it?"

"He knows. He's very unhappy."

She fell quiet, thinking on the ninken's words, wondering how things got so complicated. At last she said, "What about _my_ happiness, Pakkun? I can t keep playing these games."

"I understand where you're coming from, but Kakashi isn't playing games with you. I've known him since he was just a pup. It's genuinely hard for him to get close to people, even when he wants to. There are things in his past…"

"I understand why he's like this," she said. "I really do. But I need more. I can't be with someone who will always keep me at arm's length." She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry. Maybe that makes me selfish…but I guess that's the way it is."

Pakkun laid his paw on top of her hand. "You're not selfish. You're good to Kakashi, and good _for_ him. That's why I really hope you will try to forgive him. I believe he wants to change, and I think you are the one who can do it. I've never seen him as happy as he was with you. In fact—"

He stopped midsentence and froze as a shiver ran the length of his body. "Kakashi is calling me," he said urgently, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She sat there in stunned silence, until Shiko jumped up and took Pakkun's vacated place on the bench. "That was weird."

She nodded slowly. "Very."

Sakura tried to put the conversation with the old ninken out of her mind until later. She still had work to do today, and she didn't want the distraction – or the sorrow. She returned to the staging area the medics had established and found Shizune and Hinata packing the supplies and returning them to the wagon.

"We're not staying here tonight?" she asked, surprised.

"We sent a message to Naruto earlier. He says no," Shizune explained. "Even though the village is secure he thinks it's still not a good idea. We'll have to come back tomorrow."

She suppressed a groan. "I really don't want to walk another two hours through the jungle…"

"Neither do I, but better safe than sorry I guess. We can leave the supplies here, as long as they're secured. The trip will be quicker that way."

"At least it's not as hot as it was a week ago," Hinata added positively.

It was true; autumn was approaching fast. The days were cooler, the nights even more so, and the sun rose a little later each day. In a few weeks it would be three full years since the night of Danzou's takeover. The rebels were planning a very _special_ event to commemorate the occasion.

Sakura set her box of supplies down and joined them in the sorting and packing. However, only a few moments passed before Shizune killed any chance she had at peace of mind.

"I've been meaning to ask you…how are things with Kakashi?"

Sakura looked up at the heavens plaintively. It seemed she couldn't escape from thinking and talking about Kakashi today. "I don't know," she replied flatly. "And I'm through torturing myself trying to figure it out."

"Can't you talk to him?" Hinata wondered.

Sakura gave her a look of wry amusement. "Have you _met_ Kakashi?"

"I know most of the time he's about as forthcoming as a brick wall," Shizune said. "But I've known him since we were kids. I've never seen him care for any woman like he does for you. Any _person_, for that matter."

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. "People keep telling me that, but his actions say something entirely different. I just don't know anymore." Shizune didn't know about Kakashi coming to her last night, and she wasn't going to mention it. She didn't want to analyze every aspect of his behavior anymore. She would talk to him tonight, and then she would decide once and for all. "Can we talk about something else now, please?" They picked up the last of the crates and walked them to the wagon. "Any new gossip floating around?"

Shizune grinned mischievously. "Hanabi asked me for a birth-control justu yesterday…"

Hinata tripped and nearly fell over.

#

The trek back to the temple was uneventful, and after cleaning up the medics had a late dinner together. Sakura was grateful the subject of her love life didn't come up again, even if it was because Hinata was still fixated on the bombshell about her sister.

"What's the big deal?" Sakura wanted to know. "It takes a while to realize, believe me I know, but Sai's a good guy. He's like a brother to me. I thought you approved of them?"

"I do," she said quickly. "It's not Sai, it's—" She exhaled quietly. "My sister is sixteen..."

"And what were _you_ doing at sixteen?" Shizune asked pointedly. "I know what_ I_ was doing at sixteen…"

"I wasn't doing…_that_," she answered bashfully.

Sakura called her out. "But you _would_ have. If Naruto had gotten a clue a few years ago, you can't say you wouldn't…" Hinata flushed pink. Sakura grinned and kept going. "And don't act like you've never used your Byakugan in _inappropriate_ ways…" She poked her arm. "I think you're not nearly as good as you appear to be."

Hinata was spared from answering, but was simultaneously mortified, because Hanabi chose that moment to walk up on them.

"What are you guys talking about?"

She took a seat next to Shizune, who swallowed her food calmly and answered, "Sex."

The younger girl's interest was immediately piqued. "What about it?"

Sakura said, "The fact that you're doing it. With my teammate."

Her eyes grew wide. "I'm not doing sex! _Having_ sex." She tilted her chin defiantly. "Yet."

Hinata brought her hands to her face and muttered, "Please stop saying 'sex.'"

Hanabi looked around the table, picking up on the situation. She looked at Shizune indignantly. "See, this is why I didn't want you to tell her. Because she'd freak out."

Hinata looked slightly hurt, either that her sister hadn't confided in her, or because it seemed she was considered a bit of a prude. "I'm not freaking out! I just—just didn't realize…that things had reached…_that_ point."

"They haven't. That's what _yet_ means." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just being prepared."

Sakura cheerfully said, "Meaning Sai's finally figured out how the whole romance thing works."

Hanabi exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "Gods I hope so."

Hinata groaned and dropped her head onto the table.

Suddenly there were dogs everywhere. On top of the table, scurrying around it, yelping and baying loudly. With them came the smell of iron and smoke and the ozone-and-chakra signature of Raikiri. They were covered with dirt and blood.

The kunoichi were instantly on their feet. Sakura looked for Pakkun, found him as he scrambled up to her. "Your teammates are in trouble!" he said in a rush. "Kakashi…we didn't want to leave him but he made us. We had to get help. He—"

She knelt down to his level. "Slow down. What happened?"

"They were ambushed. There were too many to fight. We fought hard, but it was too much."

She noticed then that Pakkun was as bloody as the others. He almost _never_ fought. Only when he had no choice. She was suddenly very afraid. "Kakashi and Sai…"

"They were both badly injured. I could smell their blood. They—they were captured."

For a second her heart stopped in her chest. Her next words sounded hollow in her ears. "But they're alive." She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Pakkun! _Are they alive?_"

"Yes. The bond would tell us if he wasn't." He whined. "I'm sorry. We couldn't do anything. Please help them."

She looked around for a moment without seeing anything. Then she noticed that the other shinobi in the dining hall had gathered around the commotion. "Where's Naruto?" she said loudly.

"Last I saw he was at the training courtyard," someone said.

Sakura took off running. The other kunoichi and the ninken were right with her. They ran into Naruto halfway, with Shikamaru and Tenzou on his heels. He'd sensed their fear and panic, felt the presence of Kakashi's ninken, and came to find them.

"What happened?" he demanded. Pakkun hastily repeated his story, as Naruto frantically paced in circles. "Fuck!" he growled, gripping at his hair. "How long ago did this happen?"

"Less than half an hour," Pakkun said. "I can't say for sure."

"We need to mount a rescue immediately," Shikamaru said. "Every minute is critical. Once they realize who they've got…"

"Tenzou, you're leading the rescue party," Naruto said. "Take at least twenty. If they were able to capture Kakashi and Sai…We have no idea what we could be walking into…but we've got to go after them."

Tenzou nodded curtly. "Damn right we do."

Sakura turned to Shizune. "I need two medics. Rested ones." Then she looked to Naruto, who had stopped pacing to stare at her. She stared back boldly, daring him to deny her. "I'm going."

He simply nodded, and began pacing again. "I should go too," he muttered.

Shikamaru looked at him like he was insane. "No you shouldn't. That's the _last_ thing you should do."

"Those are _my_ teammates being tortured and…and who knows what!"

"The enemy might be hoping you'll rush in for just that reason. You have to follow your own rules, Naruto."

"You think I don't know that? But it's _my_ fault they were out there. I sent them into an unknown situation. It's my fault this happened!"

Sakura stepped in front of him, held his face in her hands, forced him to focus on her. "Stop," she said firmly. A fierce calmness had settled over her, and she held his gaze steadily. "I'm going to get them back," she promised. "No matter what."

She could see in his eyes that he believed her, and he managed a fleeting smile. Sakura turned away, and was met by Hanabi. She looked pale and scared.

"Let me go too," she implored. "I know I just got over being sick, but I can use my Byakugan to find them, and I can—"

Sakura laid a hand on her shoulder, understanding. "You don't need an excuse. Let's go."

The girl gave a grateful nod and followed her quickly toward the gates.

* * *

TBC


	23. That Which Does Not Kill Us

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-three: That Which Does Not Kill Us

* * *

Two images always came back to him, forever burned into his mind: Sakura unconscious and deathly pale, cold and soaked in his arms as he pulled her from the lake. And Sakura flushed and alive, wrapped around him, warm and sighing and naked beneath his hands.

It was the second one Kakashi focused on now, when the pain became too much to bear.

The drugs they had injected him with impaired everything except his ability to feel pain. They were the same as Konoha used; he was no stranger to their effects from both sides of the experience. Several weeks of ANBU training were dedicated to conditioning recruits to endure torture, to detach the mind from the body. He detached himself now with thoughts and memories of Sakura. The first time they kissed. The sound of her laughter. The gleam of her hair in sunlight. The smell of her skin. The smell of _his_ scent on top of hers, and the warm, possessive feeling it stirred within him. The vivid, piercing green of her eyes.

This wasn't the first time Kakashi had been tortured. Nor was it the worst. They weren't trying very hard to get information out of him, and he suspected they were simply passing time. They must have sent word to Danzou that Hatake Kakashi had been captured, and were now waiting for orders. He had no idea how much time had passed since he was brought here, but however long it lasted, whatever they did to him, he would endure it.

Well, until they killed him.

There was only one thing keeping him alive, and he had a feeling he was going to lose it any minute now. Pakkun had gone straight to Sakura; a rescue party would be on the way. Kakashi wasn't much for praying, but he hoped they came soon. He'd faced death so many times he lost count years ago; as long as he died with honor, in service to his village, he'd always been more or less okay with it. But this time he wasn't okay with dying. He had unfinished business. Someone was waiting for him to return.

Of course that probably meant this was the one time he wouldn't cheat death. He was going to die here without ever telling her all the things that had gone unsaid for too long. _'Just one more regret piled on top of the others, right, Kakashi?'_

He didn't want to live that way anymore. If he somehow managed to make it out of this alive, he would stop creating so many regrets.

The metal door creaked open. He couldn't quite focus enough to move his head and look, but he knew his gracious hosts had returned. For all that he couldn't see or think straight, their voices were surprisingly clear. It seemed luck wasn't on his side today.

"We've received word from Danzou," Root One said to Root Two, who had remained in the room on guard. "We're to bring the one called Sai back to Konoha. He's to be made an example of. The Copy Ninja is too dangerous to transport. Our orders are to take the Sharingan and seal it with this," he held out something for the other to take, "and then dispose of him."

A third Root agent stepped in front of Kakashi, the one he had identified earlier as their leader. He wore a mask like the others, but there was obvious smugness in his voice and posture. "You ready to give up that eye?"

"Not quite," he answered glibly. "You haven't asked nicely yet."

"Nice to see you still have a sense of humor. What exactly do you find so amusing about this situation?"

"What's so amusing?" He tried to look up, but the effort made his head spin so badly he felt faint. "Imagining how many pieces you'll end up in when my people get here." He smirked deliriously. "See there's this girl—she's super awesome and sexy—and she's not going to be very happy that you've kept me from going home to her. She's going to squash you like itty-bitty bugs."

Behind him, Root Two scoffed. "I doubt one girl will be a threat to all of us."

Kakashi burst into a fit of giggles. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day."

Root One came up on his other side. "You won't laugh for long."

Others gathered around him, anticipating the show was about to begin. They were dressed differently. Moss nin. One of them bent over to examine Kakashi's eye more closely and said with a thick accent, "So that's the Sharingan, huh. You just going to rip it out?"

"No, you barbarian," the Root leader answered impatiently. "Step aside."

Kakashi caught the glint of a metallic instrument that looked like forceps in his hand. He tried to struggle, and received a hard blow to the head for the effort. While he was still reeling from it Root Two grabbed his head while the leader used the metal prongs to force his eyelid open. He continued to struggle as hard as he could for someone tied to a chair; it was impossible to save himself at this point, but he would try his damndest to make them damage the eye and render it useless.

In the end it was no use. He was so weakened that one of them easily held his head still for the other to move in with a scalpel.

Kakashi closed his other eye reflexively, grit his teeth and willed himself not to scream.

* * *

The Leaf rebels had no time to waste, no time to plot a careful strategy. They were outnumbered and going in nearly blind, with no idea what they would find. But they had no choice; their comrades' lives depended on a fast and furious assault that caught the enemy completely unprepared. Fortunately they had the cover of darkness on their side.

The enemy compound was a midsized bunker structure, mostly underground, with many long hallways and identical rooms. Hanabi had scanned the compound and reported about fifty shinobi inside and around the perimeter. There were cells in the sublevel—that was where the prisoners would be. She also identified the location of every sentry, and shinobi were dispatched to silently take them out. When it was done, the rebels moved in. The enemy compound never saw them coming. Kurenai, Sakura and Aoba cast a complex, high level genjutsu in a wide net across the area, concealing their presence until they were inside the inner gate and literally kicking down the door.

From there it was a chaotic rush of furious close-quarters combat. The Leaf rebels had two objectives: find Kakashi and Sai, and kill everyone who wasn't Kakashi or Sai. The Moss and Root shinobi were caught off-guard; many had been resting or sleeping and were still in the process of arming themselves when the rebels stormed through and cut them down.

Sakura pummeled her way through enemy defenders like a raging hurricane, demolishing everything in her path. Shiko and Kakashi's ninken were right beside her, tearing apart anything she missed. When she ducked to avoid a sword slash, the ninken leapt over her head and made short work of the wielder. She spotted Hanabi fighting a few feet away and called out to her. "Hanabi! Which way to the cells?"

She gestured behind to her right. "There's a staircase this way!"

Sakura ran over and they sprinted down a long, dimly lit concrete hallway. Kiba, Kurenai, and the two Suna medics caught up to them as they descended the stairs. The corridor below was identical to the one above, but most of these doors had sliding bolt locks on the outside. A door opened on the left and several Moss ninja intercepted them. Sakura was tackled into the wall. She pushed back with chakra-enhanced strength and slammed him right through the opposite wall. Stunned by the force of the impact, he lay there in a daze as she picked up a broken block of concrete and dropped it onto his chest. Then she ran back through the hole in the wall, saw her comrades finishing off the others, and continued down the hallway.

"In there!" Hanabi cried, pointing three doors down. "It's Sai!"

Sakura grabbed the steel bar of the locking mechanism and ripped the door off its hinges. Inside the dark cell, Sai lay on his side on the bare concrete floor, unmoving, one bloodied arm thrown over his face. Sakura knelt and laid her hands on him. "Sai? Sai, can you hear me?" A muffled groan was all she got in response, but it was an immense relief as it confirmed he was alive. She carefully attempted to move him onto his back, and he groaned again. He didn't want to straighten his legs and was guarding his flank. From that alone she knew he had broken ribs and probable damage to his abdomen.

"Sakura…?" he murmured weakly, cracking open the eye that wasn't completely swollen shut.

"Yes, I'm here." She took his hand and squeezed. "You're going to be alright."

Hanabi sank to the floor near his head. "Sai?" Her eyes glistened in the dim light as she held his head in her hands.

Sai became more responsive at the sound of her voice, and made a weak half-attempt to reach for her. "Hanabi…what are you doing here?"

"Danzou's entire army couldn't have stopped me. Now hold still and let Sakura heal you."

"So bossy…"

She laughed faintly as tears slid down her cheeks. She bent over him, and her long hair hid their faces from view. She whispered something in his ear, kissed his forehead, and cradled his head in her lap as Sakura checked him over.

There was a commotion outside in the hallway as reinforcements came from further down the hall. Sakura let her comrades handle it and kept her focus on her teammate. There was a bloody bandage poorly wrapped around his thigh, covering a long, deep laceration. They had planned to keep him alive for a while, or they wouldn't have bothered to stop the bleeding. His face was swollen and bloody, his nose visibly broken. She quickly scanned with chakra for further injuries and discovered multiple rib fractures, internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, and a broken arm. Thirty minutes later and they might have found him dead.

Rage burned through her. These were not the injuries of controlled torture and interrogation. He was beaten in retribution. For betraying Root.

She looked at Hanabi. "Can you see Kakashi?"

Hanabi quickly looked around, then stared intently at the wall for a moment, and nodded. "Last door on the right."

Her heart began to pound once again, fearful of what she might find. "Is he…?"

She nodded. "I think so."

Sakura called the other medics in and got to her feet. "Take it from here," she told them. "He has internal bleeding in the lower right quadrant; that needs to be healed first."

"Right."

Sakura ran out in to the hall. There was fighting in the stairwell; Kiba and the others had moved back that way. They were holding strong, and the corridor was clear. She sprinted toward the cell at the end—and found the door open. She guessed that the enemy nin who'd rushed out in such a hurry were the ones lying dead in the hall a few yards back.

There was another Root agent inside the cell, holding a knife like he didn't know what to do with it. This one had been left to guard the prisoner – or hastily finish what was interrupted. He tensed into a fighting stance when he saw her. Sakura didn't give him a chance to attack; she rushed him and used chakra-enhanced brute force to wrench his arm around, forcing him to drop the blade as his bones broke. She pushed her other hand against his mask and drove him backward into the wall, crushing his skull against the concrete. He dropped to the floor in a heap.

Kakashi was on a chair, his ankles and arms tied with chakra-binding wires. His head was slumped forward and his body was limp, but he stirred just a little as she approached. A wave of relief swept over her, and she let out the breath she'd been holding. "Kakashi?"

Sluggishly and with obvious difficulty, he lifted his head and looked at her. He'd been beaten as well, though in a more methodical way. What concerned her most was the wash of fresh blood running down his face from his left eye, which was closed. Then she noticed that the blade the agent had held was a scalpel, and there were other surgical instruments scattered on the floor. It was obvious what had been about to happen in this room. They barely made it in time.

"Whoa," he mumbled. "You totally look solid…those are some wicked strong drugs."

She gently lifted his face up to the light for inspection. Her voice trembled as she said, "I'm really here you idiot."

Kakashi gave a silly grin. "Oh,_ hiii_ Sakura-chan. I missed you. You're really a sight for sore eyes." He chuckled.

Sakura shook her head and tried not to laugh at his drug-induced loopiness. It was hard not to, because she was just so happy he was alright. She cut the wires binding his limbs, and he grimaced and groaned as his arms returned to their normal position. "Where are you injured?" she asked, beginning to check him over.

"Um…everywhere."

"That's helpful."

"Sorry."

He had a mild concussion, several small cuts and bruises, broken fingers on each hand, a cracked rib, a stab wound under his right shoulder blade that was just short of puncturing his lung, and a lacerated lower eyelid from the attempt to take the Sharingan. She was glad to see the eye itself was intact, though severely irritated. Once she'd identified all of his injuries she began healing.

"Sai," he said suddenly. "Is Sai okay?"

Sakura paused, the image of her badly injured teammate flashing before her eyes. "He's…not good," she said quietly. "But he'll be alright."

"You should go back to him. I'm fine—"

"I'll tell you when you're fine. Just hold still."

He hooked an undamaged finger around her pinky and gazed up at her. "You're so pretty," he slurred happily. He tilted his face up and gave another goofy smirk. "Kiss kiss."

Apparently drugs and head trauma were a good combination for him. But even as she smiled, her throat tightened and her lips trembled. She leaned down and kissed him tenderly. His lips were swollen and bloody, but she didn't care. It didn't matter that she was angry with him, or that the state of their relationship was uncertain. He was alive and okay. Everything else was insignificant. She wrapped her arms around him, held his head against her chest, and hoped he couldn't feel her trembling.

He did though, and he tried to hold her, but his arms were aching and feeble from being tied behind his back so long. He managed to weakly settle them around her knees. "Don't cry," he murmured against her. "I'm okay. You saved me. Again."

_Because I love you_, she wanted to say, but couldn't. She inhaled a deep breath, smoothed her fingers through his hair and lightly said, "I'm just making up for all the times you've saved me."

The rumble of a stampede echoed down the hall, and within moments the ninken poured into the room. Sakura stepped back as they swarmed around Kakashi, whining and yipping, bumping him with their noses, rubbing against him with worried excitement.

"Easy, guys." He managed to hold out his hands for them to pet themselves against.

Pakkun jumped onto his knee and looked up at him anxiously. "Are you alright, Boss? It was the hardest thing for us to leave you."

"I'm fine," he assured. "You did well."

"Is the fighting over?" Sakura asked the pug.

"Yes," he answered. "Either there weren't as many enemies as we initially thought, or they ran away thinking there were more of _us_ than there were. The building is secure, and your comrades have begun searching it for information."

She waded through the sea of fur, nudging the dogs with her knees. "Give me some room, you guys. I need to finish healing him." She dealt with the worst of his injuries, but they had little time, so she left the minor stuff for later when they were safely back at the temple. She helped him rub the circulation back into his arms, then stepped back and gave him a final visual assessment. "Think you can walk?"

"Let's find out." He stood carefully, testing his balance and coordination. Almost immediately he swayed. "Not so much." He tried to catch himself on the chair, but his arms were still weak and couldn't hold his weight up.

Sakura caught him before he fell. "The effects of the drug will last for a while," she told him. She could try to burn some of it off for him, but his system had had enough shock for one day. And she wanted to use the rest of her chakra on Sai.

"You could carry me," he suggested cheekily. His mask hung around his neck, torn but still functional, and he pulled it up as they turned to go.

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to?"

Kakashi thought about it a bit more, pictured it in his head, and frowned. "…No."

She hooked an arm around his back and the other across his chest, supporting him as they walked. He leaned heavily against her, sluggish but determined. The ninken quietly followed them out of the cell. Kakashi looked back over his shoulder—or tried to, and told them, "You guys can go home if you want." A chorus of "no," "we're staying," "not until you're home too," and other concerned and loyal protests came back at him. Kakashi just smiled, but it faded when Sakura carefully steered him around the bodies of two Root agents in their path. "I know those guys," he said. "I told them you'd squash them like bugs."

Sakura saw the expression of weary loathing on his face and realized these were the others who tortured him, and possibly Sai as well. She glared down at the dead men and said, "I wish I had."

"At least you squashed one. I wish I could have seen it better. I knew you'd come for me. I told them—" he paused as he tripped over something that didn't exist, "I said you'd tear them up because they were keeping me from going home to you."

Sakura stopped walking and just looked at him, flooded with feelings that were both happy and sad. Why couldn't he be like this all the time? Did one of them always have to nearly die for there to be honesty between them? She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes, and his arm around her shoulders held her closer.

But when she wrapped her arms more tightly around his middle he quietly grunted, "Ow."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, and they continued walking.

They only went as far as Sai's cell. She helped Kakashi inside and he sat on the floor against the wall as she went back to their teammate. Sai was much improved; awake and alert and lying with his head in Hanabi's lap.

"We're nearly finished," one of the Suna medics informed.

Sakura nodded and knelt down beside them. "I'll finish up." She trusted that they had done an excellent job, but Sai was one of her closest friends and she could have lost him today. It was a comfort to do something for him herself.

Sai seemed to agree. "Good. They're adequate, but I like it better when you heal me."

"I second that," Kakashi chimed in.

The medic healing Sai's leg pursed her lips and shared a glance with her partner, who rolled his eyes. Sakura tried to hide her smile. She knew how bratty all three of her teammates could be about medical attention.

"You're both spoiled," she told them as she took over.

Kakashi sighed happily. "Yeah…it's great."

Sai looked at him strangely. "What's with you?"

"He's drugged," Sakura explained.

Kakashi nodded. "You should try it sometime. Kind of hard to walk, though."

Sai glanced pointedly at his leg. "At least you _can_ walk. You look like shit."

"You're not so pretty yourself right now. But hey, we're alive."

Sai smiled faintly, but his dark eyes were far from happy. The look they shared expressed what lay beneath the casual banter. What they had been through tonight wouldn't be forgotten easily.

When Sai was finally able to move, he and Kakashi were taken upstairs and outside, where those who weren't helping with the search were setting up a jump site. Hanabi and the other medics stayed with them while Sakura went to find Tenzou and fill him in.

#

She found him on the main floor in what looked to be an office. He was searching through a desk while Aoba rummaged through a file cabinet. She looked around in surprise at all the stuff they had found. "I thought this was just an outpost…"

"So did I," Tenzou said. "Turns out it's a fully operational staging area. We found a lot of useful info about their plans and logistics. Looks like they were planning to mount a major assault on us from here." He dropped the papers he was holding onto an open storage scroll. "Too bad we didn't leave anyone alive to interrogate."

"It was more important to get to Kakashi and Sai quickly," she said. "If we had come in differently…they might have had a chance to kill them."

He nodded in agreement. "We did what we had to. I heard they're both alright. I'm glad."

"Sai was pretty bad. Root obviously has a grudge against him. They must have had plans for him, to bring him back to Konoha maybe, otherwise I think they would have beaten him to death. Kakashi wasn't as seriously injured…but they were literally seconds from taking the Sharingan." Tenzou acknowledged her report gravely, but said nothing; their shared concerns about their teammates needed no words.

Kiba's search party entered the room just then, steering a prisoner between them. "We found this locked in one of the rooms," he said, jerking his thumb toward their captive. Two Leaf nin held onto either arm of a man who had the look of a ninja in dress and character, but was neither Moss shinobi nor Root.

From the other side of the room Aoba said, "Looks like we'll get to interrogate someone after all."

Sakura gave their captive a cursory glance, then did a double-take, eyes going wide. "_Touga_…?" She took a few steps closer. It _was_ Touga. Thinner and more ragged, with longer hair and an unshaven face, but his green eyes were the same.

Everyone was suddenly looking at her. "You know him?" Tenzou asked.

"I do," she said hesitantly. "At least I thought I did. What are you doing here, Touga?"

He gave an uneasy smirk. "Midori—I mean Sakura. Heh. It's good to see you again."

Sakura wasn't sure she could say the same. "Were you a prisoner?"

Kiba snorted. "If so he was in the comfiest cell I've ever seen."

Confusion rapidly evolved into shock and fury. "You were _working_ with them?" He looked extremely uncomfortable and wouldn't meet her eyes; it was all the answer she needed. She couldn't believe it. This was the man who had helped her and Shizune navigate the shinobi underground and find her people. He and his uncle had given them a safe place to stay when they were wanted in nearly every city in the five nations. For half a year he had been her friend…and occasionally more.

"How long?" she demanded. "How long were you working with our enemies? When Shizune and I were at the Hub?"

He shook his head. "No! Of course not! It's…it's complicated."

"You son of a bitch!" Sakura punched him so hard the two holding him had to brace themselves against being knocked back.

Touga reeled and went limp. When he regained his senses he spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor, met her eyes unhappily and said, "I guess I deserve that."

"You deserve worse!" she growled, jabbing her finger into his chest. "I trusted you! I considered you a friend." When she thought about the nature of their association, of the things that passed between them, her anger flared afresh and she nearly hit him again. "I ought to kill you where you stand."

"I can explain," he implored. "Let me tell you what happened. Please."

Tenzou stood next to her and set a hand on her arm, a silent request to back off a little. She obeyed grudgingly. He fixed their captive with an unforgiving stare and said, "Talk."

"It had better be good," Sakura snarled.

Touga wasted no time. "Konoha has my uncle, Jinbei. A few weeks after you left us the Hokage – Danzou – found out about the Hub helping the rebels and sent his goons. They burned the place down, took my uncle prisoner."

"But not you?" Tenzou asked skeptically.

"I wasn't there. I was out gathering intel." His expression darkened. "That fucking bastard Danzou took everything I had…everything that matters to me. I hate him as much as you do…but I don't have an army at my back. And after what happened to you guys in Waterfall no one knew where you were. So I offered to work with the Moss nins, use my contacts to get information. I thought it was the best chance I had of getting into Konoha to help my uncle."

"And what information did you offer them?"

"Nothing useful. False leads, outdated intel." He shook his head. "Hell, most of my contacts are too spooked to even talk to me after the Hub went down. I couldn't betray you if I tried. I don't know much of anything anymore—I was just hoping to fake it long enough to get into Konoha. They never trusted me to begin with, and they were starting to suspect I was leading them on. Don't know how much longer I would have lasted."

Kiba shrugged indifferently. "That's still up in the air."

Sakura cast Touga a long, appraising look. He held her gaze, silently pleading for her to believe him. Though it was difficult, she willed herself to look past her sense of betrayal and use reason. If what he said was true, she felt a little guilty for getting them caught up in this. He and Jinbei had been kind and helpful to her, and they really had no reason to betray the Leaf rebels to Danzou or any other hidden village – their entire livelihood depended on neutrality and discretion.

"He's most likely telling the truth," she said after a moment. "But I also think we need to confirm his story and send someone to Busan, as well as a message to Konoha to see if they know anything about Jinbei. As for what we do with him until then…" She shrugged.

"Let me fight with you," Touga urged. "I have a stake in this too."

Kiba shook his head, looked at Tenzou and said, "That's a bad idea."

Aoba had come over to join the debate. "What could he do to us by himself? He's not even a real shinobi. If we keep an eye on him and don't let him leave or contact anyone, then he's harmless."

"He's _not_ harmless," Sakura countered. "He's clever and resourceful and not particularly moral. He may not be a trained ninja, but he could do plenty of damage."

"If he does, his uncle dies. One message to our people back home and it's done. It's as simple as that and he knows it."

Tenzou turned to Sakura. "What do you think? You know him, better than the rest of us anyway. I'm not asking if he can be trusted…but do you think he's a threat?"

Sakura thought about it for a long moment, examined everything she had come to know about Touga. "He has no loyalty to anyone but his uncle," she said finally, "and he wouldn't try to infiltrate our camp for the benefit of a third party. He's out for himself; I believe he'll go wherever he thinks he has the best chance of achieving his own goals. And what he said is true: he _does_ have a personal stake in seeing Danzou go down."

"Is it even worth taking him?" Aoba wondered skeptically. He turned to Touga. "From what you've said you weren't trusted. How could you know anything?"

A bit of the roguishness Sakura remembered surfaced as he smirked. "Because that's what I do," he said matter-of-factly. "I find things out, whether I'm supposed to or not."

Kiba was not convinced. "I still don't think we should take him."

"Prove that you're of use to us," Tenzou said. "Give us something right now."

He didn't disappoint. "Danzou has asked the Fire daimyo for assistance in squashing the rebellion, using the safety and security of the civilian population as his bargaining chip. If he gets his way the entire military force of Fire country will come down on you."

A moment of surprised silence stretched, as the Leaf rebels looked around at each other worriedly. Tenzou reacted first. "If that happens there's no way we can stand against them."

Kiba said, "But Suna will side with us, right?"

"They most likely will," Sakura replied. "Which will collapse the Alliance and throw the five nations into war again. That can't happen."

Tenzou made up his mind. "Naruto needs to hear this. He can make the final decision about our prisoner after we find out what else he knows. Bind his hands and don't let him out of your sight." He returned to the desk and sealed the storage scroll containing the intel they'd found. "We've been here too long already. If anyone escaped we don't want to be around when they come back with reinforcements. Let's get ready to jump."

He left the room, and the others likewise began to make their way out of the building. Sakura started to follow, but stopped halfway and looked at Touga again, watched his guards tie his hands behind his back.

He gave her a thin smile. "I'd hoped we might meet again someday," he said wistfully. "I'm sorry it was like this."

"Me too." She walked up to him, stopped close and leaned in to quietly tell him, "But you should know my sentimentality only goes so far. If you double-cross us…"

Touga stared at her as if seeing her clearly for the first time. Then he smirked and gave a faint nod. "Understood."

#

She left him there and went to check on Kakashi and Sai. They had been moved to a waiting area near the jump point, and as she'd expected, they were being obnoxious about staying put. "Kakashi I can understand," she said, exasperated. "But Sai, _you_ couldn't even walk twenty minutes ago."

He smiled up at her. "But I'm better now."

"_No_, you're _not_," Hanabi groaned. "You're still not fully healed." She looked at Sakura wonderingly. "How do you work with these two every day and not kill them?"

"You should see what it's like when Naruto's added in." Sai gazed up at her blankly, while Kakashi wore a silly smile. She fixed each of them with an imposing stare. "Look, I know you want to be useful, but you were _tortured_. You're not fit to walk around yet, let alone work. Anyway we're leaving in like five minutes, you can wait five minutes can't you?" She pointed a finger at them in warning. "If you don't chill out I'll make your legs go numb and you'll have to be carried out of here." That cowed them for the moment. She stayed with them just to make sure, but after a couple minutes, Tenzou came to find her.

"We're ready to go," he announced. "The place is cleared, but we're not going to just leave it for them to move back in. I'd like you to destroy it, then we'll burn what's left."

Sakura smiled eagerly. "My pleasure. Where's the structural center?"

"I'll show you." He led her to a seemingly random spot several meters from the part of the compound that was above ground. A single kunai had been stuck in the ground as a marker.

"Is the jump point out of range?" she asked. "The collapse will cause pretty strong tremors; we don't want the activators to be damaged."

"We've accounted for all of that." He saw the look on her face and smiled. "You're pretty excited."

She grinned at him. "I don't get to do this very often." She couldn't remember the last time she got to smash an entire building. She waited for him to move away and call out for others to clear the area. She took a deep breath to focus, gave her knuckles a good preparatory crack, and then drove her chakra-powered fist into the ground, shooting a burst of energy straight down into the core of the structure below. A low rumble sounded deep beneath her feet, growing louder as the ground began to quake. Spiderweb cracks spread around her in all directions, and as the integrity of the earth beneath her feet gave way, she pushed chakra into her legs and sprang up and away to a safe distance.

The enemy compound collapsed into a ruined crater. When the dust cleared, a team moved in with their fire jutsu to set it ablaze.

Tenzou was waiting for her off to the side, and smiled approvingly. "Good work," he said, and for a moment they watched the wreckage burn like an enormous sunken firepit. "I hope the enemy _does_ come back to find what we left. It'll send a nice message."

* * *

The next day Sakura wore pants and long sleeves for the first time all year. The brisk early-autumn morning was a welcome change after an end-of-summer heat wave, but at the same time everyone knew that winter would bring a new set of hardships. Although, if their upcoming operation was a failure, they probably wouldn't be around to worry about it.

Everyone was tense and excited at the morning briefing. The information they recovered from the enemy compound, including what they learned from Touga, had pushed their preparations into overdrive. It was critical that they made their move before Danzou surrounded Konoha with a borrowed army of samurai.

"I contacted Shikaku earlier this morning," Naruto said straight off. "They have a problem. Some of them were caught and arrested. They're going to be publically executed the day after tomorrow."

"Who?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"He didn't give me names. He didn't have much time to talk. But he said they're planning a rescue operation."

"I wish we could do something to help," said Shizune.

"We all do," Shikamaru agreed. "They've held on until now…I'm sure they'll be fine. They won't have to wait much longer."

"What about Jinbei, Touga's uncle," Sakura wanted to know. "Did they confirm he's in Konoha?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled. "They didn't have to. Hinata knows him."

Everyone looked at her, and she nodded. "He was already part of the resistance before I joined," she explained. "He was a prisoner until the jailbreak to free Morino Ibiki. They freed him too and he decided to join them."

"Why didn't he go home to find his nephew?" Temari wondered. "He should have known he'd be worried."

"I don't think he could get out of Konoha without being caught," she answered. Her expression clouded with unpleasant memories. "You don't know what it's like there now."

"I can imagine."

"So one part of his story is confirmed," Naruto continued. "I've sent someone to Busan to investigate about the Hub. If that checks out then we have no reason to hold him prisoner."

"Maybe not, but we still can't let him go," Shizune said pointedly.

"He doesn't want to go. He has a lot of information sources that can be useful to us, and he wants to fight with us against Danzou."

"_Can_ he?" Sai wondered doubtfully. "He's not a shinobi."

"He's not an average civilian either," Sakura countered. "He can hold his own. Besides, it's not our job to protect him. He can make his own choices."

"What I'd like to know," Shikamaru said, looking at Naruto, "Is why the others back home didn't know about Danzou's arrangement with the Daimyo. It wasn't a spur of the moment plan."

"Shikaku said it must have been something Danzou kept to himself until he had to let his commanders know. The important thing is we know about it; there's still time to act."

Kakashi spoke for the first time that morning. "This isn't happening out of kindness, or some kind of show of solidarity. What we should really worry about is: what does the Daimyo get in return?"

"Whatever it is, it won't be trivial," said Tenzou.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, Danzou isn't the type to sit quietly under someone's heel – that's how all of this started in the first place. He'll undoubtedly betray this agreement at some point and throw Konoha into war with the Daimyo."

"No he won't," Naruto said decisively. "Because his time is up." He looked around the group. "You all know what to do today; I just wanted to give you a heads-up on the situation in Konoha. Let's get to work."

Outside, Sakura was surprised when Kakashi caught up with her. She stopped and looked up at him.

He reached out and lightly touched her elbow. "Do you have some time…to talk?"

"I can't," she replied honestly. "I have to meet Kurenai and Aoba in a few minutes."

He just looked at her for a few moments, then nodded faintly. "Of course." He seemed about to walk away, but suddenly focused on her again. "Later?"

Sakura was a little taken aback. Kakashi actually wanted to _talk_…so much so that he was pressing her. It had to be important, but she still hesitated. The last few times they seriously talked hadn't gone very well. "Alright," she finally agreed. "I'll find you later tonight."

He nodded again, and then walked away without a backward glance. She stared after him ambivalently. She was sure he was going to pull a 'we can't do this' again, telling her that the other night was another mistake. But his behavior didn't fit the pattern of avoidance and cool detachment. Even so, she just couldn't bring herself to hope that this time would be any different. She would meet him because he asked, but she wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

The Fire Temple was abuzz with activity and focused energy that day. Assigned teams spent the day running tactical drills of their specific mission components, while others took inventory and packed up the supplies. Sakura spent the day with Aoba and Kurenai, her task team for the first stage of their move on Konoha. They were working on a massive-scale, highly complex gentjutsu similar to the one they used to storm the enemy compound, only much more powerful. Today was the first day, but they would be working on it every day until the last. It was imperative that they executed it perfectly. It was one of the lynchpins of their entire operation.

By evening she was mentally exhausted in a way she hadn't been since first starting her training with Tsunade, when she'd spend fourteen hours a day memorizing anatomy and physiology and perfecting her chakra control by resuscitating dead fish. Exhausted, but happy, knowing she had accomplished something great. She arranged a time to meet her team again tomorrow and decided to go check in with the medics at the clinic before getting some dinner. Shiko, who had watched her work today until she got bored and went off on her own, caught up with her again as she walked.

"What did you do today?" she asked the pup.

"Explore. The monkeys in the forest are pests. They follow me everywhere and make lots of noise, and they're too high up to bite."

Sakura smiled. "I don't think they see too many dogs around here. When are you going to hang out with Shiba and Choco?"

"No time before the Big Day. We play after."

"Are you excited?"

"Yes, a little. I don't see other ninken much."

"Sakura! There you are..."

Sakura turned as Naruto jogged up to her. He looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"Can you go see Kakashi? I think he needs help."

"What happened?"

"He led a scouting party today, and they got in a fight." He saw the look on her face and quickly reassured her. "He's okay…I think. But—"

She frowned at him. "But _what_?"

"I saw him when he got back and he seemed okay, but I think he was trying to hide it from me. When I asked his squad they said he overused the Sharingan."

"You _let_ him go out on a mission?"

He raised his hands defensively, warding off her glare. "He said he was fine!"

"He always says that. You should know better than to believe him. Where is he?"

"In his room. Will you go check on him?"

"I'm going."

"Be nice…?"

She gave him a look that made him cringe and back away. She decided not to go to the clinic after all, and headed straight for the billets. Could that be what he'd wanted to talk to her about; was he feeling unwell before his mission and wanted her assistance? No, if it was for something medical he would have just said so. She would find out soon, if he was in a fit state to talk…and if she didn't wring his neck for being so reckless.

She knocked on his door and heard him answer. She opened the door and blinked in surprise at the dark void before her. "Naruto sent me," she said, stepping inside and leaving the door open so she could see. Shiko followed her in. "Why is there no light? Does it hurt your eyes?"

His voice came from the bed, raspy and tired. "Yes, and I have a splitting headache, so if you have to turn it on, can you move it farther away…or cover it."

She peered around in the dark for a moment, then took his scarf off the dresser and draped it over the lamp, and then set it in the far corner and turned it on. The room filled with a dim, greenish tinted light, just enough to see him clearly. "Is that okay?" He sat at the edge of the bed, bent forward slightly, with one hand over his left eye. He cracked the right one open to test the brightness, and nodded. She got up and closed the door, then sat beside him on the bed.

She reached up to his face, covered his hand with her own. "Let me see," she said gently. He slowly took his hand away and opened his eye. Somehow she managed not to gasp. The eye was horribly bloodshot, the inflamed capillaries blending with the Sharingan to make the entire orb red. Worse, it was bleeding; a watery reddish liquid ran down his cheek like tears. He had pulled his mask down to prevent it being soaked. She winced in sympathy, and gingerly prodded around the socket. "Can you see out of it?" He gave a slight nod. "How did this happen?"

"I led a team into Konoha territory, to recon a jump site for when we move," he explained, "and we encountered a patrol. One of them released a messenger hawk. There was no other way to stop it…I had to use the Mangekyo."

She gave him a reproving look. Last time he used the Mangekyo he spent a week in the hospital – in a coma. "Did you lose consciousness again?" He shook his head. "Has it ever bled like this before?" Another negative.

Chakra flared in her fingertips, and she carefully probed the injured eye. The optic nerve was severely inflamed, and the tightness caused by the swelling had caused a weak spot to form in the optic vein. That vein was now leaking blood into the eye socket. She explained it all to him as she worked to stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling, and he finally seemed to realize the severity of what he'd tried to simply brush off.

"Do you think I'll go blind in that eye someday, like Sasuke?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "The chakra in the Sharingan is different than your own. So is the genetic makeup. That difference is what prevents you from being able to fully control it – to turn it off, for example. The orb is foreign, but the nerves and tissue connecting to your brain are your own. That's probably what's keeping you from losing your sight."

He sighed. "It would be nice to be able to turn it off…and to not have it drain my chakra dry after only a few minutes of use."

She contemplated what she knew of the Sharingan and the problems it caused him. "Your chakra nature is lightning, and I'm guessing Obito's was fire?" He nodded. "The two are compatible, and you can already use fire element, so there's a possibility that a total integration _could_ be done…but then the Sharingan would be linked to the rest of your chakra."

He knew what she was implying. "And I would eventually go completely blind."

She shook her head uncertainly. "It's the use of the Mangekyo that leads to blindness, so I guess it would depend on how heavily you use it. But it would be completely experimental. Is it a risk you're willing to take?"

"Not really," he said without much thought. "I'd rather be blind in one eye than both."

"Even so…something has to be done about this recurring problem. When we're back in Konoha I'm going to do some research and try to help you. Maybe at least do something about the excessive chakra drain."

They fell quiet for a while as she finished up. When there was nothing else she could do for the moment, she told him, "Keep it covered for the next three days. I mean it. If you fully rupture that vein you could lose the eye, or have an aneurism and die. I can fix it, but the eye needs to fully recover before I can attempt something that complicated."

"I'll be good," he promised.

"How does it feel now? Better?"

"Mm," he nodded. "Thank you."

She took a square of gauze from her pouch and gently cleaned the bloody tears off his face. Her other hand was between them on the bed, next to his, and he softly brushed his finger across her knuckles. Her breath caught silently, her eyes flicking to his, but he was looking down at the space between them, at their hands. She realized suddenly just how close they were sitting.

She looked away so her eyes couldn't betray what she was feeling, and softly asked, "Why didn't you come to me?"

One shoulder moved in the suggestion of a shrug. "I knew you'd give me hell for using the Sharingan again so soon." His head dipped and he leaned in close to her, a weary, comfort-seeking movement.

She tried not to let his nearness distract her. "It was just plain stupid." She kept her voice low, but her tone conveyed her annoyance. "You nearly had it cut out of your head! Not to mention your other injuries which aren't fully healed. Seriously, you couldn't even wait twenty-four hours? You seem to think you need to give every last bit of yourself, going out again and again until one day you don't come back. But that's unacceptable, Kakashi." Their hands were still touching, and she curled her fingers around his. "You need to realize how important you are to us. To _me_. You are _not_ expendable."

"Sorry," he murmured.

"Don't apologize. Look at me and tell me you understand."

He looked up. "I do. It's not like I'm trying to throw my life away."

"I just worry about you," she sighed. "I'll never forgive you if you die needlessly." She chuckled softly and nudged her shoulder against his. "See, you got chewed out anyway, so there was no point in hiding from me."

He smiled thinly, and after a hesitant silence he added, "I also figured you were mad about the other morning…"

The pleasant feeling she had disappeared. She sat back a few inches and studied him coolly. "You mean that thing about you sleeping in my bed and then sneaking away without a word?"

He winced. "You make it sound so bad…"

She huffed incredulously. "Are you telling me it's not?"

"_No_," he said emphatically. "It wasn't supposed to be. You were exhausted that night; I just didn't want to wake you. I realize now that I should have said something, but I didn't think you would automatically assume the worst. I planned to see you when I got back. I thought we might do something together." He gave a sheepish smile. "But I got a little tied up."

She gave a halfhearted laugh. "Only you would make jokes about that."

His face became serious again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It was a mistake." Her eyes slowly widened, her expression growing hard, and he realized how she had taken it. He quickly clarified, "I mean_ I_ made a mistake. I never should have pushed you away. I think I knew even then that I wouldn't be able to let you go." The next words were hard to say, and he was no longer able to meet the intense green of her eyes. "When I was captive…all I thought about was you. About how I had let you down…how much I wanted another chance. I understand if you don't want this anymore…and if you tell me to go to hell I'll respect that and stay out of your life." He cleared his throat softly. "But, I just want you to know…it's not what I want."

Sakura was moved by the raw honesty in his voice, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and never let go. But she had felt exactly the same way before, the last time he did this. Words only counted for so much. She would break her own heart before she let him break it again.

"I just don't know, Kakashi…"she said hesitantly. "I know you mean it now, but will you mean it six months from now? A year from now? Can you promise that you won't change your mind again when things get less than perfect?" He didn't even have to leave her; he might check out in other ways, which would be far worse. "I can't go through that again," she said firmly. "I won't."

Kakashi shook his head slowly, at a loss. "What do you want me to say, Sakura? You want me to tell you something I can't possibly know for sure. No one can make those kinds of guarantees…including you."

"Not good enough," she answered sadly. She pulled her hand away and stood, fighting back tears. She wanted to be with him more than anything. She just didn't know if she could. "I…I have some other things to take care of tonight," she said with measured calm. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Kakashi watched something in her shut against him, and stared after her helplessly as she turned and left. He had thought she believed him when he said he wanted to try again, that she was reassured in his commitment. He couldn't have been more wrong. He had done too much damage. She resented him for the pain he'd caused her, and she no longer had faith in him.

To his surprise, Shiko lingered after her master had gone. She glowered at him, and seemed to be debating something to herself. He expected her to come over and bite him any second.

"It's really over, isn't it?" he murmured listlessly. "She hates me, and she's right to."

Shiko gave the canine equivalent of an exasperated sigh. "I hate giving hints to males when they're being stupid, but you work with ninken and I kind of like you. She doesn't hate you. She's afraid."

He was confused. "Afraid of what?"

She looked toward the door, making sure Sakura wasn't within hearing distance. Her room was right down the hall. "You're like a stray dog that can't get used to sleeping indoors," she said bluntly. "As soon as she lets you in you run away again." She moved closer, lowered her voice. "She thinks you can't love her. Not the way she wants you to."

Kakashi stared at her. She certainly had increased her vocabulary these past months. He was struck by the validity of her words. Of course Sakura thought he didn't love her. He had given her every reason to think it. His headache was returning, and he ran his hands over his face tiredly. He had let so many moments slip past unseized. He shook his head and softly said, "She's wrong."

"Then maybe you should tell her that. Idiot."

She left and slid the door closed with her paw, leaving him alone with himself and the full weight of his foolishness.

* * *

TBC


	24. Eve of Revolution

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-four: Eve of Revolution

* * *

A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard before the gates; nearly every shinobi and at least half of the monks. Sakura had to weave and nudge her way through them to get to the center where a wide circle had been cleared. A team of movers knelt at the markers, waiting.

"There you are!" Naruto called when he saw her. "I thought you were going to miss it. You have to be here when they come."

"I'm here now," she said, drawing up beside him. "Why does this have to happen at the crack of dawn?" She yawned.

"Probably so we can have the rest of the day to prepare and work on strategy," Sai said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Trust Sai to always find an answer to a rhetorical question.

"Where's Kakashi?" he wondered, glancing around.

Sakura shrugged. "Late as usual."

"He'd better not be," Naruto groused. "I'm about to send someone—"

"Such little faith," said Kakashi, coming up behind them.

"We learned from experience," Sakura muttered. She ignored the look he gave her.

Naruto waved them quiet. "It's happening!"

The seals on the ground flared up, intensely bright in the gray early morning. Their hands placed flat on the ground, the movers channeled their chakra into the seals and began to chant the incantation in unison. The spatial distortion within the circle rippled like a heatwave, and the surrounding atmosphere was filled with the tingling thrum of chakra that raised the hairs on their arms. A few moments later there was a blinding flash of light, and then just as quickly it was gone.

A host of fifty Sand shinobi stood within the circle. In the front of the group was the Kazekage himself.

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He started forward to greet them. "I didn't know _you_ were coming!"

They clasped arms in friendship. "It had to be kept secret until the last minute, but there is no point in me pretending to be personally uninvolved. If Suna is going to openly move against Danzou, we might as well go all in."

Naruto grinned. "I'm glad you're here."

The Sand shinobi came forward and greeted their allies, mixing into the crowd as many reunited with long-distance friends. Others began to hastily move the crates of supplies out of the circle.

"What's the rush?" Naruto wondered.

The Kazekage gave an enigmatic smile. "Tell your movers to be ready."

Everyone looked at him questioningly, but he said nothing else. Naruto called out to the movers to leave the circle open and wait. They didn't have to wait long before the seals flared up again, indicating an incoming jump. The crowd moved back as the light once again grew blinding. When the flash had come and gone, another large group of shinobi stood in the center of the circle.

They were from Hidden Mist.

The courtyard fell quiet. A tense anxiety began to swell among the Leaf rebels in the crowd.

Naruto glanced at Gaara warily and said under his breath, "What is this?"

"Don't worry," was his quiet reply.

A very tall shinobi with blue hair and an eyepatch came forward, accompanied by a babyfaced youth with glasses who looked far too slight to wield the enormous sword strapped to his back.

"Uzumaki Naruto," said the taller one. "I am Ao. We met briefly at the Kage Summit three years ago."

He looked them both over, and said after a moment, "I remember. You two were the Mizukage's personal guards."

"That's right," the smaller one said. "I'm Choujuro." He smiled awkwardly, revealing sharply filed teeth that belied his innocent appearance. "We're here in proxy to the Mizukage."

Naruto was still confused. "Okay, but…why?"

Beside him, Kakashi said, "I believe they're here to help us."

Ao nodded an affirmative. "The previous Hokage Tsunade was a dear old friend of the Mizukage. She cannot forgive what happened to her. In addition, our intel has confirmed that the Hokage has made secret deals that are in conflict with the terms of the Alliance. Hidden Mist is unwilling to openly declare war against Danzou at this point in time, but we hope that fifty of our finest jounin will be of help to you in returning Konoha to order."

Naruto grinned widely. "Absolutely!" He shook hands with both of them, which they didn't expect. "Come on, we'll get you settled in. There's more than we expected, but it won't be a problem—"

He cut off in surprise as the seals of the circle flared up once again. The startled movers hurried to align themselves for yet another arrival.

"There's _more_ of you?" Naruto exclaimed.

Ao shook his head. "Not of us."

Another bright flash, and another large group of shinobi were suddenly in their midst. This time Naruto literally jumped with excitement, and rushed forward to greet the hulking figure at the front of the group. "Bee!"

The big man grinned. "That's right, muthafucka! I got your back!" They clasped hands and executed a ridiculously complicated handshake.

Naruto stepped back and looked around, stunned by the unexpected turn of events. "I can't believe you came all this way to help us."

"We're bros," said Bee. "The last of the Jinchuuriki gotta look out for each other. I ain't gonna let that freaky old fool take what's yours. Hey, you remember my man Darui?"

A dark-skinned shinobi with a mop of shaggy white-blond hair came up to them. Naruto shook his hand. "Of course I do. Good to see you."

"What he means is, Hidden Cloud has an alliance with Konoha. But the current Konoha ruled by Danzou is not the nation we made a treaty with."

"Hidden Mist feels the same," said Ao. "Danzou's Konoha is too similar to our village's own dark past; we know where that road leads. It's the Senju clan and their legacy that we wish to be allies with. Now we stand together in honor of that Alliance."

The shinobi of the four villages intermingled, excited but cautious, as their respective leadership made its way into the lecture hall for a command meeting.

"First of all," Naruto said when they were all inside, gathered around a table strewn with maps of Konoha and the surrounding terrain, "I want to thank you all for coming to our aid. You're risking a lot. We won't forget it."

"We're not risking as much as you might think," Ao answered. "Danzou's position as Hokage being sanctioned by his Daimyo means very little to us."

"That's right, yo," Bee chimed in. "So the Daimyo got his back? We think that's whack!"

"The hidden villages care little for any authority but our own, particularly that of the Daimyo," Gaara added. "Most especially one who is so easily bought." He gave a thin half-smile. "Yes, we know about that."

Kankurou chuckled. "It's a saying in Suna that our biggest enemy is the one in our own backyard, if you know what I mean."

The shinobi clans' history with the civilian governments of the five nations was precarious at best. A century earlier, in the time of the first Hokage, a deal was struck with the Daimyo at the time: the clans would stop fighting each other and form unified villages, and in exchange for not moving against the feudal governments, the Daimyo would keep out of shinobi affairs. In the decades since, the peace had – mostly – been kept in the interest of protecting their respective countries from outside threats. As a courtesy the two leaders would get to pretend to have a say in each other's business, but they had no real authority.

"Danzou is regarded as a usurper across the five nations," said Darui. "We have no respect for traitors who force their way into power by turning on their own people. Konoha has not met its obligations to the Alliance. But rather than remove Konoha from the Alliance, it would be more beneficial for all concerned to simply remove Danzou instead."

"What does the Tsuchikage think of this?" Kakashi said. "I notice there are no representatives from Hidden Stone here."

"We decided not to approach the Tsuchikage," Darui answered. "He's no fan of Danzou, but since he has no personal stake in this, he'd probably be unwilling to take the risk. We all agreed it would be better to leave him out of it, as a caution."

"Won't he be upset that all of this is going down without his knowledge?" Temari wondered.

Bee waved it off. "Old coot never does anything drastic. Even if he's pissed, he'll just sit around and pout about it. 'Sides, he won't know 'til it's over."

Gaara turned to Naruto. "So. Where do we stand?"

Naruto explained their attack plan, but being more of an action-taker and less of a planner, he had a little help from Shikamaru who knew the details inside out. The envoys listened, asked a few questions and offered suggestions here and there. Naruto was a very informal leader, but now he had to rein himself in. Protocols had to be followed. Sand and Leaf had worked closely together before, and were more relaxed around each other. It helped that their leaders were good friends. The other village representatives were not as familiar. Determined as they were to be friends, each village had its own customs and expectations. A little culture clash was inevitable, as were differences of opinion on military strategy.

They got into a small disagreement when it came to their numbers.

"You're not counting the regular Konoha troops," Naruto argued. "Most of them will turn and fight with us when it comes to it."

"You can't guarantee those numbers," Ao countered. "It seems like a lot of them stood aside and watched because they were worried about their families. They're certainly not here with you now." The note of disdain in his tone was easily understood.

Sakura jumped in. "You have no right to judge them for making that choice," she said indignantly. "You didn't experience the chaos of that night; no one knew what was happening until it was all but over. Fleeing with us would have meant abandoning their civilian families and small children to Danzou's retribution. Or what if they had towed their families along? How long do you think they would have survived out here?"

Shikamaru raised his hands. "Alright. Let's not argue over things that can't be changed. One thing we know we can count on is the insurgency within Konoha."

"If they haven't all been arrested or killed," Sai said pointedly.

Shikamaru shot him a resentful glare. With both his parents being part of the internal rebellion, the possibility of their capture and execution was the last thing he wanted to hear. Sai was typically unapologetic; he knew he was just saying what everyone else was thinking.

The foreign shinobi all wore questioning expressions. "What's he talkin about?" Bee asked.

Naruto sighed and explained, "There's a group of rebels inside Konoha that stayed behind when the rest of us left. They've been making all kinds of trouble for Danzou and his Root goons, and I've been communicating with them through my toad summons for months. But about a week ago I got a message that several of them had been arrested and were going to be executed. They were planning a rescue. But then they went dark; all communication stopped." He shook his head. "The worst part is, I can't summon my toad back to find out what happened. I think he's dead."

"Clearly something bad happened with their rescue attempt," Kakashi said. "They're either dead or imprisoned, or they've gone into hiding. Either way, we can't contact them to let them know we're coming."

"So you can't realistically count on them either," Ao said frankly.

"Fine," Shikamaru said brusquely. "Not counting supplemental aid we have just over four hundred…"

As the meeting went on, they continued to tread carefully through the murky waters of diplomacy. After everyone was up to speed on the plan and they were all mostly in agreement, or at least unwilling to argue further, they went out to gather their people together and make the big announcement.

With the multinational army fully assembled, the main courtyard was packed to capacity. Naruto jumped up onto a low wall so everyone could see and hear him. "For the past few weeks you've all been working hard on your individual tasks for our big move," he said loudly. "Now it's time to bring it all together…" The crowd listened in focused silence as he explained the operation in depth. He concluded with the revelation that their time at the Fire Temple had come to an end. "Tonight is our last night here. We have tomorrow to tie up all our loose ends, and then tomorrow night we're going to jump to the staging area we set up in secret." A few murmurs of surprise and excitement rippled through the sea of faces; the rest was dead silence. "We're going to be using a single, long-range teleport jutsu, which can be dangerous, but it's the only way we can guarantee the element of surprise. We'll be in enemy territory once we jump, and I know I don't need to tell you that stealth is the most important weapon we have."

He looked out over his troops, more of them than he had ever expected, and smiled. "Two days from now, an hour before dawn…we'll storm Konoha and take it back!"

The cheers and impassioned war cries that rose up from the crowd were deafening.

#

After they were dismissed many lingered to socialize or discuss the strike on Konoha. They had waited three long years for this, and the knowledge that the end was so close filled everyone with a sense of fateful excitement.

Naruto talked more with Gaara and the foreign emissaries until their rooms were ready for them, and then remained and watched the fraternizing. Over half of their total strength now was not of the Leaf. He was grateful that they had such friends, but at the same time it made him a little uneasy. He didn't know their strengths and weaknesses as well as he knew his own people, and truthfully, he didn't know what hidden agendas their leaders might have. He knew why Gaara and the Sand village was here; he knew those motivations were pure. He was pretty sure he could count on Bee as well, but he also knew that Bee wasn't really running the show; Darui was, in the name of the Raikage, who was a hard, unsentimental man.

That was the way politics worked. Nations do things for only two reasons: they stand to gain something if they do, or they stand to lose something if they don't. Foreign relations were tricky and always about more than they seemed. He was glad he had the support and advice of people who understood it better than he did.

He never could have realized, all those years ago as an outcast boy with too much to prove, that being Hokage would be so difficult.

He felt someone approach behind him, and turned and faced Sasuke with surprised curiosity. "Sasuke…" He didn't know what to say next. He still didn't quite know how to treat him, not until he could sort out what exactly Sasuke was to him now.

"Naruto," he said in much the same way. "I want to be part of the strike on Konoha."

Naruto nodded. "I knew you would. It's why you came here, right?"

"That's…part of it."

He didn't elaborate, but Naruto thought he understood, and smiled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura watching them with interest. He nodded for her to come over, and after a moment's hesitation, she did. Once Sasuke became aware of her presence, he grew even more reticent than he already was. It was the first time all three of them had interacted since Sasuke's arrival at the temple.

"Sakura," he acknowledged.

"Sasuke," she returned, but though her voice was cool, her eyes held none of the usual resentment. They seemed almost sad.

"So," Naruto said, trying to deflect the rising awkwardness. "You have something specific in mind?"

A bit of Sasuke's old attitude poked through. "Aside from relieving Danzou of his head?"

Naruto laughed dryly. "Hey, if you want to come with us you may not want to step on my toes. Danzou is mine."

Sakura looked between them sharply. She wasn't surprised that Sasuke wanted to be part of the assault, but she didn't know how much she liked the idea. It was hard to stop being reflexively distrustful of him, though the larger part of her wanted to get over it.

"I was thinking I could work with Kakashi and Lee. I have the speed."

Naruto considered that for a moment, nodding. "True. I'm okay with it, but you'll have to talk to Kakashi for the final verdict." He studied him a moment. "Have you even talked to Kakashi since you've been here?"

Sasuke's eyes fell to the ground. "The opportunity never came. Anyway…I don't think it would go well."

The cracks in their relationship were much harder to repair, because they didn't have the same underlying bond to work from. There was genuine dislike on both sides. Sasuke had never respected Kakashi as a teacher, and resented his early efforts to play the mentor role. Kakashi might be willing to move past Sasuke's many character flaws, but he was still adamantly unforgiving about the attempts to hurt Naruto and Sakura over the years.

"You've gotta _try_," Naruto urged. "If you talk to him like you talked to me...I know he'll understand. But you've gotta be the one to reach out."

Sasuke said nothing to that.

"There's one problem with you coming with us," Sakura said, bringing them back on topic. "I assume your strategy is to fight anyone who attacks you first. But you're still considered a dangerous enemy to the general population of Konoha. What if you come up against someone who isn't Root? How will you know?"

He shrugged mildly. "I'll just stay away from open areas where the main fighting will be. Besides, how likely is it that regular Leaf troops will attack _me_?"

Sakura _tsk_ed and rolled her eyes. Naruto was only slightly less infuriated. "As _massively_ arrogant as that was...he kinda has a point." He looked at Sasuke. "You can come with us either way, but like I said, you have to talk to Kakashi about being on his team."

Sasuke nodded in acceptance, and left without attempting any awkward parting words.

They watched him walk away, and then Naruto turned to Sakura and grinned. "What an amazing day, huh? And hey, the three of us had an entire conversation without getting in a fight! It's like the beginning of a new era."

She gave a small smile. "That would be nice." She looked around for a moment and sighed. "I'm going to miss this place. It's so beautiful here. I doubt I'll ever see it again."

Naruto nodded wistfully. "I know what you mean. Hey, I'm meeting Hinata for lunch. Want to join us?"

Being third wheel to the Happiest Couple Ever wasn't exactly her idea of a good time these days, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She just shook her head and said, "Can't. But actually, I wanted to talk to you about something first."

"What's up?"

She drew him aside so they couldn't be overheard, and spoke in a low voice. "Our problem of not being able to contact the insurgents and find out what happened? I think I have a solution. It's not a great one, but it's probably all we've got."

He nodded intently. "What is it?"

"We could send Touga. He isn't known to anyone who would be looking for infiltrators, but he _is_ known to his uncle, Jinbei. They would trust him and the message he carries. He could warn them that we're coming."

"That's really risky," Naruto said doubtfully. "He was working with Root before we found him. He could go straight to Danzou and warn _him_ instead."

"I've thought of that, too," she said. "I don't fully trust him, but I _do_ trust that he wants his uncle back alive and well, and right now his uncle's life is in _our_ people's hands. We can send someone with him who's also unknown to Konoha. Someone stronger than him, to make sure he does what he's sent to do…and to kill him if he tries to betray us. I was thinking one of the monks."

"Why couldn't we just send the monk?"

"Because they won't trust him. If they've gone underground they'll think a 'message from Naruto' is an attempt to lure them into the open. It would take too long to verify his story."

"Hmm, you're probably right. I still think it's a huge risk…but this whole thing is pretty risky isn't it?" He grinned.

Sakura smiled. "Downright foolhardy, some would say."

"Well I never did have much sense. I guess I'm rubbing off on the rest of you." He gave a final nod of assent. "Alright. I'll talk to the Abbot as soon as I can."

She nodded at something over his shoulder. "You won't have to wait long."

He turned around to see the Abbot waiting patiently at a respectful distance, his arms folded within his robes. "Master Inei…" They walked over to him.

Hozo Inei smiled at them both. "Naruto, Sakura. I believe now would be a good time to tell you…the brothers of the Fire Temple vowed to stand with you in this fight, and we will keep that promise."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "You want to come with us?"

He nodded once. "Many here have expressed a desire to do so, and still more from other temples who wish to join your cause will arrive tomorrow. I would go with you myself if I could. Will you accept our help?"

Naruto shook his head in excited disbelief. "Are you kidding? Of course! This is more than I ever could have hoped for. You've done so much for us already…"

The Abbot smiled benevolently. "That is what brothers are for. If there is anything else we can do..."

Naruto smiled at Sakura, then looked back to the monk and said, "Actually, there is…"

* * *

The next day passed in a blur of frenetic activity. Ten monks arrived over the course of the morning, joining twenty of their brothers from the Fire Temple as the warriors who would stand with the rebels in Konoha. The Leaf shinobi and their comrades in the Alliance spent the day training and finalizing their preparations. And unknown to all but a few, Touga and his escort Sentoki, dressed as common farmers, slipped discreetly away from the temple and disappeared into the jungle.

The rebels made the jump as soon as it was full-dark. Everything went as smoothly as could be expected when conducting a mass-transport operation of a mixed army that reported to four different commanders. Long-range teleportation was rarely used because it was dangerous to humans on a cellular level: the greater the distance between jump points, the longer the body existed outside of space and time, molecularly unstable. When the jutsu completed some fainted, some became sick, and all were dizzy, weak, and disoriented for nearly thirty minutes.

That unavoidable vulnerability left them in danger of an attack as well; one of the many reasons complete stealth was necessary. When most had recovered, they got to work setting up a camp in total silence. There were a hundred and thirty more of them than anticipated and things were quite crowded, but they were making it work.

Kakashi passed through the rows of tents and cordoned sectors of supplies, overseeing the logistical progress. Shikamaru was at the other end of the camp doing the same. There really wasn't much to supervise; these were experienced shinobi who knew what they were doing. More than anything he was just killing time, because idle hands and an unoccupied mind were dangerous things for a soldier to have on the eve of battle. Or the eve of the eve, as it were.

Mostly he was trying not to think about Sakura. Of course that meant he couldn't seem to stop seeing her. She was nearby now, at the perimeter's edge with Kurenai and Aoba performing a genjutsu to conceal their presence. Avoiding her was unnecessary, because she was very openly avoiding _him_. She'd dodged him for days while his eye improved, and then summoned him so she could repair it—but did so in the clinic so they weren't alone—and then continued to dodge him again. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he still didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. It had to be right, honest and profound so that she would believe him. He knew he only had one last shot.

After a few more minutes he gave up on pretending oversight and went back to his tent. Before he even lifted the door flap he knew there was someone in there. It couldn't be the only person he wanted to talk to because she was still at the perimeter. He sighed quietly and braced himself before entering.

He was surprised and a little relieved to find it was Genma, sitting on a crate with a bottle in his hand and a wicked grin on his face. "You look like you could use a drink."

Kakashi let the flap fall closed. He really could, to be honest. Somehow Genma always seemed to know these things. "You just don't want to drink alone."

"I'm bored. My wife has better things to do than me right now. Thought I'd come hang out with my oldest bestest buddy."

Kakashi gave him a look.

He shrugged amusedly. "Call it what you want; you know it's true." Two cups were at his feet, and he retrieved them one by one and filled them.

Kakashi pulled up another crate to sit on. He examined the contents of his cup and then the bottle. "You brought contraband on our big operation?"

"Hey, it could be our _final_ operation, so what the hell? Besides, I couldn't leave it behind. This was a wedding gift from the monks. The good stuff: aged fifty years. Got a whole case of it." He emptied his cup, and while his smile remained, his eyes grew more serious. "So…I heard they nearly took your eye, old man."

"Very nearly. And last I recall you're two years older than me."

"Yeah but I'm younger in spirit." He grinned.

"A fancy way to say you're immature." He pulled down mask, emptied his cup, and rubbed a hand tiredly over his cheek.

Genma looked him over and then laughed. "When's the last time you shaved?"

Kakashi shrugged indifferently.

He poured them each another. "I wish I could get away not shaving for days. But unlike you, _I_ can actually grow a beard. Shizune probably wouldn't like it, though."

"How is Shizune?"

"Amazing. I've never been happier."

Kakashi studied his friend. He wasn't exactly glowing, but there was an unmistakable aura of deep contentment about him. He had to wonder if _he_ had ever looked like that. If he ever would. "Is being married different?"

"Not really," he answered easily. "I don't know about other people, but we've been together so long we've already been through all the ups and downs. It's made us stronger."

Again Kakashi just looked at him, suddenly filled with a lot of thoughts and questions he wasn't about to ask, even of his oldest friend. They downed another drink together, and a long moment passed before he finally settled on, "How is it so easy for you?"

Genma gave a small ironic smile. "It wasn't always easy, man. For a long time she didn't trust me. When she came back to Konoha after eight years it wasn't like she thought I would pine away waiting for her, but my reputation…well, you remember. She thought my philandering meant that I never cared about her, that I didn't miss her, when truth was I did it to drown my own pain." He shook his head. "That was another thing. She _left_ me…she ran off with Tsunade because she couldn't handle her grief. She broke _my_ heart too."

Kakashi nodded somberly. He remembered what Genma had gone through at that time, and how he had coped. They all had their ways of dealing with grief and depression. Some were more self-destructive than others, though he didn't think Genma had anything on himself.

"So anyway," he continued. "It was a struggle for a while. She had to show me she wouldn't run away when things got rough again. I had to show her she was the only one for me, that I am the man she thought I was." He poured them two more, and held up his cup. "To love," he proposed. "Hard work, but damn it's worth it."

Kakashi obligingly tapped his cup against the other, and they knocked them back.

Genma held up one finger in point, and sagely said, "That's all women want, you know. That's the answer to the big cosmic mystery."

Kakashi glanced at him bemusedly. "What's that?"

"The only thing women want is to know that their faith in you is valid. That you value the relationship as much as they do."

"That's not much."

"Nope. But at the same time…it's everything."

Kakashi wasn't sure how they had come to be talking about this, but Genma did like to wax poetic whenever he was around alcohol. It was admittedly making him think. And when he thought about it, he realized the truth in the idea. The only thing Sakura ever asked of him was to try.

Genma watched him closely, a knowing smile on his lips. "Need another?"

"Yep."

#

By the time Sakura finished securing the perimeter with Kurenai and Aoba, the camp had completed its setup and descended into total light and noise discipline. It was so quiet she could hear the twigs and leaves crunch faintly under her feet as she walked. Here and there she heard muted whispers of conversation, soft rustles of movement in the shadows. Outside the genjutsu barrier, there would be nothing but the normal cacophony of nocturnal forest life.

She was on a very specific mission now, and she wasn't sure how to complete it without waking people up and asking around. In the end she used Shiko. She summoned the pup to her, knelt down and whispered, "Can you find Sasuke for me? Quietly."

Shiko walked around with her nose to the ground for a moment, then stealthily padded away. Sakura followed. They went all the way to the edge of camp, where the ninken stopped and indicated a darkened tent. Sakura sent the pup back to her own tent, and then braced herself. The idea of being in a tiny enclosed space with Sasuke made her a little uncomfortable, but she told herself to get over it. He wasn't going to hurt her…at least not physically.

What Naruto said earlier about Sasuke needing to reach out in order to make things right again had made her think. Sasuke _had_ reached out to her, more than once. In return, she had torn him down in the meanest way she could. She had been spiteful and cruel…and while maybe Sasuke deserved to know what it felt like to be crushed by someone he cared about, that didn't keep her from feeling bad about it. That wasn't closure, it was pouring salt into old wounds to keep them festering. It was what the old Abbot had cautioned her against, because it prevented her from embracing true happiness.

That wasn't the way she wanted to live. Wasn't the kind of person she wanted to be.

She knelt silently outside the tent opening. She could feel his presence inside. "Sasuke?"

After a moment of weighted silence, he answered. "Come in, Sakura."

She unfastened the doorflap and carefully went inside. Sasuke was lighting a small lantern for her, and in a moment the close space was dimly illuminated in a soft flame glow. She secured the flap behind her and sat facing him. His eyes focused on the part of her he could see: her chakra aura. She stared at him. He waited expectantly.

"Um," she began awkwardly. She took a steadying breath. "I uh…I want to apologize." The candlelight exaggerated their expressions, otherwise she might not have caught the slight, surprised lift of his eyebrow. "When we talked last time," she continued, "you were trying to build a bridge between us and I…I was lashing out for other reasons. Mostly other reasons."

His eyes cast downward in thought. "Everything you said was true. I deserved to hear it."

"Maybe," she said softly. "But still, I'm sorry about the method. Can we talk now?"

Sasuke smirked faintly. "I have nothing but time."

Silence stretched between them again. Fortunately Sakura had spent the past few hours thinking about what she wanted to say. "I was thinking…well…do you think I might be able to do anything for your eyes?"

He shook his head. "If the curse of the Mangekyo could be cured by a medic-nin, the Uchiha clan would have known long ago."

"Oh." Her other idea was a bit more sensitive, but she decided it was best to just come out with it. "What about…your scars?" she asked carefully. Her eyes fell to the dark, raised tissue along his forearms. He usually kept them covered with armguards or long sleeves, but now they were bare. It pained and confused her to look at them.

His eyes fell reflexively to his wrists, staring at something he had never seen, only felt, and imagined. He was silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "They're a reminder of what I've done…and of what I've lost." He exhaled slowly, seemed to let go of something heavy. "I can never make up for the things I did. But if I'd succeeded in this…" he slowly traced his fingertips over the toughened skin, "I wouldn't be here now to tell you these things. And being here, with you guys again…it's the only thing that's given me peace in as long as I can remember."

Sakura blinked away the stinging in her eyes. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I admit I wasn't willing to give you much of a chance when you first showed up."

"Why would you? Every time you reached out to me in the past I…" He trailed off uncomfortably.

"Tried to kill me?" she finished.

He turned his face and muttered, "Right."

"Not the first time," she said coolly. "The first time you just crushed my fragile girlish heart into pieces, knocked me unconscious, and abandoned me on a roadside bench…"

Sasuke frowned, but in a way she had never seen before: an expression of open guilt. "I…" He looked away uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," she blurted, feeling bad. Bitterness was a hard thing to let go of, but if _he_ of all people could do it, then she certainly could. "This wasn't what I came here for."

"No. We _should_ talk about these things. We have to, if we're ever going to understand each other. About that night…" he said carefully. "I couldn't let you come with me for a lot of reasons. Mostly because I didn't want to be responsible for protecting you." He didn't need to see her face to know exactly how she would react. "You know I would have had to. You weren't very capable back then."

She stared at him flatly, but he was right, so she said nothing and let him continue.

"Also, you didn't think about what you would be giving up; your family, your friends, your career, your honor…and for what? Life as a missing-nin with a boy so blinded by hate he couldn't see anything else? If I had agreed you would have come to hate me for taking everything else away from you. Maybe hating me was inevitable, but at least I didn't ruin your life."

"I don't hate you," she said quietly. "I hate what happened to us."

A shadow of a smile formed on his lips. "You're a loyal friend. That does mean something. I didn't always know it. But it means a lot."

"That's all we ever wanted," she said. "For you to know you had friends. You didn't need to go through it alone."

Sasuke didn't say anything to that, and they fell into a quiet far more comfortable than the one before. He seemed to be in deep thought, and Sakura used the time to openly study him. He was still so beautiful, but in a passionless, unreachable way; like a perfect rose under glass, to be admired only from a distance. It was a little sad, but she couldn't see him any other way now.

His mind seemed to have ventured into similar territory, for he suddenly said, "I did think about it; you and me. I knew how you felt about me then, and…I cared for you in my own way. I still do. Certainly more than any other girl I've known. But it would have been for all the wrong reasons. We would have made each other miserable."

She breathed a soft laugh, amused by the impossibility of _them_, a thing so obvious now in the experienced, clear eyes of maturity. "Yeah. I came to that conclusion too."

"The last time I saw you, you were crying," he said quietly. "I made you cry a lot over the years. I'm sorry for that." His eyes fell, and he sighed. "For all of it. I would like to make you smile for once."

Softly she answered, "I am."

Sasuke looked up, his dark gaze questioning, intense, full of things she would probably never know. Very slowly, he started to reach out to her. Sakura sat perfectly still as he inched forward, raised his hands, and after a long moment of hesitation he gently touched her face.

It was more intimate than she had expected, this seemingly appraising contact. His callused fingertips slowly and carefully brushed the curve of her jaw, her chin, and finally, the edge of her lips and the crease of her smile.

He felt the truth; she was smiling. But he could also feel the slight tremble in her chin. His expression fell flat, and a tiny frown knit his brow. "Seems more like you're about to cry again…"

She laughed softly. "I'm…" The words tightened in her throat. She couldn't articulate what she was feeling. "It's just…"

He understood, for in that moment they felt exactly the same. His hand slowly fell away, and he sat back. "Yeah…I get it."

This was the first real conversation they had ever had as equals. In all the years they had known each other and all the things they had been through, it was the first time they had truly connected. It didn't erase the past, but it was the first step on a long road forward.

Sakura reached out this time and grasped his forearm, felt the roughness of scar tissue under her fingertips. "I want to forgive you, Sasuke…but if I said that right now it wouldn't be completely true. Maybe in time..."

He accepted that with a slight nod, and softly murmured, "Thank you."

The tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over. She and Sasuke together like this, talking, reconciling their complicated past, understanding each other…if that could happen anything was possible. It filled her with a renewed sense of optimism. She lightly squeezed his arm. "I have to go. It's late, and I still have to meet Shizune and go over triage stuff."

She moved to the doorflap and unfastened it, and was about to exit when Sasuke spoke quietly behind her.

"If you love him don't give up."

She turned back to him with wide eyes, but didn't question how he knew. He knew a lot of things a blind man who'd been gone for eight years shouldn't know, and he had always been a perceptive bastard. She stared at him in uncertain silence.

A shadow of a smirk crossed his lips. "Even the biggest fools can come to their senses."

Sakura smiled, and silently made her way out.

* * *

The preparations were complete; all they could do now was wait. The hours crawled by in near total silence. Sentries were on constant lookout for a detection or breach of the genjutsu barrier, and there was a brief period of alarm as a Root patrol passed them by, but the illusion held. The rebel forces slept or rested away the daylight hours and began to stir as the cover of darkness fell. The camp was permeated with the tense hush that comes before every battle—that familiar mixture of fear and excitement, and the eagerness for it to finally be over. They spent the night readying their gear, sharpening their weapons, sharing their final quiet moments with friends.

At ten o'clock, Naruto called them all together for a final briefing. At dawn they would make their move at a silent signal; there would be no time or allowance for talking then. He stood on a crate in the center of the crowd, and though he spoke to them in a low voice, it was so quiet that he was easily heard by everyone.

"I'm not going to give a big important speech," he began. "You've heard it before, and there's nothing I can say that will make you any more ready than you already are. You've all done an excellent job. I'm proud to be your leader, and I'm grateful that you've stuck with me through all of our hardships." He looked around at the sea of faces, and tried not to look as self-conscious as he felt. "All of our time and hard work has come down to this day, and I know we're going to succeed. I know because this is the most important thing we've ever faced. We fight for the future of Konoha, of our _home_. We're fighting for our friends and families—both here and in the village—as well as the families we might have someday and the world they'll be part of. We fight for the future of what it means to be a Leaf shinobi. We will not let the hard work of generations before us be destroyed." He grinned fiercely. "So that's it. You all know what to do. Fight hard, and I'll see you back in Konoha!"

When he finished there was no resounding cheer, but their support and enthusiasm was clear in their smiles and nods, in the hands that reached out to grasp his as he hopped down and stood among them. He made eye contact and exchanged smiles with his teammates and Gaara, and then made his way through the crowd, shaking hands and patting shoulders, accepting their silent encouragement.

The throng finally cleared and he found Hinata waiting. He smiled happily and took her hand, and they walked together to her tent. He didn't want to go back to his; the captains of their allied troops would probably want to speak with him one last time, and he wanted a few minutes of uninterrupted calm to collect his thoughts.

"That was a good speech," she said when they were sitting together inside.

He smiled. "It wasn't supposed to be speechy. I just wanted them to know how proud I am of all of them."

"It was real," she said. "From your heart. The best speeches always are."

He held her hand in between both of his, brushed his thumb back and forth over her knuckles. She had calluses and tiny faded scars on her hands from fighting and weapon use, just like he did. Such small, feminine hands, disguising unexpected power. That was Hinata: small and delicate, but filled with hidden strength.

"Are you nervous?" she asked him.

He gave a tense laugh. "Nervous? I'm terrified. I know they won't all make it tomorrow. I know it, and I have to carry that responsibility. It's happened before, but it's different this time." He took a deep breath, let it out heavily. His eyes searched her face. "What if we fail?"

She laid her other hand on top of his. "I'm scared too," she admitted. In fact her stomach was all tied up in knots, but Naruto being here with her gave her strength. "I'm sure everyone is scared. That never goes away no matter how many battles you've been in. But we all know what we're up against. It's exactly as you said: this is the most important fight of our lives. Not one of us would be anywhere else right now. And in a few hours we'll be fighting at your side because we believe in the cause, but more importantly, because we believe in _you_, Naruto. We—"

"I love you, Hinata."

The quiet interruption stole her breath away and she stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless.

Naruto gazed back at her sincerely. When several seconds passed and she still hadn't found any words, he gave a small, amused half-smile. "What," he said softly, "you didn't know?"

"I…" She felt her face turning red, her heart fluttering. She thought she had gotten over being so ridiculously giddy and nervous around him, but this was a big exception. "I…I do," she fumbled. "I mean I thought you…I wanted…um—" She stopped herself and took a breath, and said in a rush, "I love you too."

A beaming smile lit his face. "Really?"

She raised her eyebrows incredulously. "Are you serious? Only since we were six."

Naruto laughed softly, his smile widening. "I'm such an idiot." He pulled her to him and kissed her, wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I shouldn't have waited so long to say it," he said into her hair. "I know this is a bad time—"

She shook her head. "There's no such thing."

He pulled back and looked at her, held her face in his hands. "Okay, then I promise to say it every time I think it from now on. Even if it's completely inappropriate."

She grinned, her cheeks flushed with happiness. Their entire future was balanced on a knife's edge, but in this moment she didn't care. "I'm okay with that."

He kissed her again, and again, and passion quickly flared between them. He lay back on the bedroll and pulled her down on top of him. "I love you," he murmured against her neck between kisses.

"I love you too," she whispered. A few moments later: "Won't the Kazekage and the others be waiting for you?"

He reached over and dimmed out the lantern. "They can wait a while longer…"

#

Sakura walked silently through the camp, on her way back to her tent after the briefing. As always, Naruto was most inspiring when he was just being himself. She thought briefly of catching up with him, but knew a lot of people would demand his time in these next few hours. Besides, there was nothing that could be said between them that they didn't already know. She was just looking to be around people she cared about. Unfortunately all of those people had someone else they needed to be with more.

Like everyone else, she was afraid. Just because their numbers had more than doubled didn't guarantee they were going to win. They were still outnumbered, out-resourced, and relying too heavily on the element of surprise. She was afraid for her own life and the lives of her friends, but she was even more afraid of what it would mean if they failed.

She passed by a sector where several shinobi were quietly distributing the surplus weapons and gear, loading up on extra kunai, exploding tags, combat scrolls, flak vests and armor. Their foreign allies had brought a lot of deadly goodies and everyone was eager to get some. She stopped when she saw that Kakashi was overseeing the action. She slipped between two tents into a place where she could see but not be seen. She wanted to talk to him, but she was afraid to. More accurately, she wanted _him_ to talk to _her_, because she had already said everything she could. Apparently he had nothing to say.

Every time she thought of Kakashi lately she got a strange twisting feeling inside. It had been happening for days, progressively worsening as the zero hour drew closer. It was almost like panic.

Kakashi stood off to the side and tossed out orders with the authority of a man who had spent his lifetime leading others. Watching him now, all of the admiration and affection of their years together came welling up inside of her. Gods, she loved him. And in the face of that love, all of her pride and bitterness seemed to matter for nothing. Why was she punishing him, when all she wanted was to be with him? What was she going to do if they couldn't reconcile the issues between them? What if they never got the chance because—no, she wouldn't think of that.

Sakura quickly turned away and continued on her path. She hadn't gone more than a few feet when she came upon Shikamaru smoking a cigarette. Tonight he was undoubtedly plagued by same anxiety as everyone else, but it was rare to see him with a cigarette these days. Temari definitely had something to do with that. Sakura was surprised he wasn't with her right now.

She could tell by the expression on his face that he had been watching her. He had crossed her path intentionally. "Hey," she said with feigned casualness.

He gazed at her keenly for a moment, took a drag, and finally said, "Ino and Chouji were in love, you know."

Of all the things he could have said, that was the least expected. She stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. "No…" she answered slowly. "I didn't know."

"They'd only just hooked up," he explained. "He was staying at her place…that night. When news of the attack came and she went to find you, he ran home to warn his family."

He stopped the story there; they both knew what happened next. He took another long drag, the orange glow briefly illuminating his face. Sakura could see that time hadn't made this subject any easier to talk about.

Nor had it made the revelation any easier for her to hear. The tragedy of it was overwhelming. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because," he told her. "Their love was cut short before it ever had the chance to grow. I'm not going to silently stand by and watch you and Kakashi make the same mistake." He finished his cigarette and threw it down, covered it with dirt. He walked right up to her, stopping close. He held her gaze intently and said, "Love turns geniuses into fools, they say. Don't be an idiot, Sakura."

He walked past her and disappeared into the shadows. Sakura was left standing there, bewildered.

She wasn't sure exactly when she started moving again, but she walked in a daze for some time and eventually found herself in a darkened supply sector with no one around, sitting on a crate filled with unknown things. She stared into space, too unfocused to think about anything specific. Eventually her thoughts collected, and the direction they went surprised her. What came to mind was a nearly forgotten conversation that took place years ago; one of a hundred similar and seemingly unimportant half-sober exchanges with her mentor.

#

"_Shinobi have rules," Tsunade said. She was attempting to elegantly impart her years of wisdom and experience upon her student, but no amount of articulation could cover the slur at this point._

_Sakura was used to it. The only time her shishou ever seemed to want to teach was when she'd been drinking heavily. She'd been called into the Hokage's office to receive what she thought would be a lecture on endangering herself in the line of duty for the sake of her teammates _again_. There _had_ been a lecture, but somehow it turned into Tsunade polishing off a bottle stashed in her bottom desk drawer while Sakura listened to old stories and tried to keep up. _

_The Hokage pulled her student's empty cup toward her, scattering the papers littering the desk surface along the way. She refilled it and passed it back. Sakura was always amazed that no matter how drunk she got, Tsunade never spilled a drop._

"_Shinobi have rules," she repeated. "And medics have rules within those rules. I taught you to fight so you could defend yourself and not be a liability to your team, not so you could brawl. I'm not telling you to sit on the sidelines, only to use good judgment. You must keep yourself safe so you can keep your team safe." She stopped talking and stared at the desktop, a small frown on her painted lips. A long moment stretched before she continued. "But I also realize when you love someone…all that shit goes right out the window. None of it matters when all you can think is that you can't lose them."_

_She paused again, her gaze drawn inward. Sakura stared at her, concerned but strangely eager to hear more. Tsunade so rarely talked about personal things. _

"_Dan…" she continued mutedly, "…was already gone when I reached him. And Jiraiya…" Another pause, and this time it seemed she wouldn't continue. Her golden eyes were shadowed by grief, haunted by past mistakes and tragedies that would never leave her. "But if I had made it in time, if I had been there…I would have gladly laid down my life. I would have given my last drop of blood, my last flicker of chakra…"_

"_I'm sorry," Sakura said, surprised and saddened by this sudden turn in the conversation. "I didn't know about Jjiraiya."_

_Tsunade snorted, waving a dismissive hand. "Yes you did. Everyone did. You just never consciously thought about it." _

"_I guess…" It was true; Tsunade and Jiraiya was one of those wink-n-nudge things everyone sort of knew but didn't talk about. When Jiraiya never returned from the Rain Village, everyone knew the Hokage would mourn for the last of her teammates, but only those who knew her well could see it was more than that. She carried it with her every day, and occasionally it resurfaced in moments like this. But she'd never actually admitted it until now. _

"_You're so like me, Sakura," she said, holding her student's gaze. "That worries me more than you can know." She shook her head sadly. "I was such a stubborn fool. Don't repeat my failings. When the time comes, don't turn your back on love. No matter how impossible it seems." _

_Sakura smiled. That would never happen to her. She had a clear record of clinging to lost causes, so if she ever found _real_ love, someone who loved her in return, she knew she would hold onto it with everything she had. _

"_I won't" she assured confidently, and finally drank what her shishou had poured for her. _

#

Sakura wiped away the tears that fell freely down her face. The memory of her beloved mentor dredged up a fresh wave of longing. She missed her so much, and couldn't help but feel that if she were here she would know exactly what to do. Things would be so much easier.

At the time she had brushed that conversation off, let it fade away with the last of her hangover. Only now did she realize its significance. She thought she knew herself so well back then, but she had been naïve. Only now did she understand what her shishou had been trying to tell her.

Sakura got up and headed back into the center of camp. Her thoughts were spinning; she was on the verge of freaking out. She needed advice from someone who knew Kakashi as well as Tsunade had known her.

Outside Shizune and Genma's tent she found Genma, along with Aoba, Izumo and Kotetsu. They sat on the ground in a loose cluster, passing a bottle back and forth.

"Hey Sakura," Genma greeted. "Come to join the party?"

Sakura looked around the group, and shrugged. "What the hell, I could use a drink." She took a seat between Genma and Kotetsu.

Genma passed her the bottle. "Knock yourself out."

"Not literally though," Aoba teased. "Hangovers and battles don't mix well."

She drank from the bottle, and the men stared at her as she didn't sip, but gulped. It was sweet, but still burned, and when it became too much she stopped with a breathy gasp and passed the bottle to Kotetsu.

He smiled at her in admiration. "Damn, that's downright nostalgic. Haven't seen a woman drink like that since Tsunade-sama."

"You're more like her than we realized," Izumo chimed in.

They meant it as a compliment, but the irony wasn't lost on her. "Apparently."

"Anxious?" Aoba asked her. "The worst part is always right before."

"Tell me about it." She turned to Genma. "Where's Shizune?"

"With Kurenai. She should be back soon."

"Actually I wanted to talk to you." Suddenly she wished the others weren't there. She lowered her voice. "It's about Kakashi."

He gave a short laugh. "What is this, cry on Genma's shoulder week?"

She blinked. "What?"

He nodded toward the tent. "Come inside. I'm sure you guys can entertain yourselves."

Aoba held up the bottle and grinned. "Not a problem."

They went inside and he closed the flap behind them. Outside, the others struck up a conversation that would prevent them from overhearing.

"Last night I did this same thing with Kakashi," he said as they situated themselves.

She raised an eyebrow. "What, drink?"

"Well, yeah. But I meant the heart-to-heart."

"Really?" she said incredulously. "He actually _wanted_ to talk…about his _feelings_?"

"Well, not really. It was very…Kakashi-like. But I saw underneath, you know? With you at least I won't have to pretend that's not what we're talking about."

She smiled thinly. "I thought since you know him better than I do..."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that. For one, I've never made out with him." He paused. "I think. We've been really drunk a few times…"

Ordinarily she would jump all over that, but tonight she wasn't in much of a mood for jokes. "Well maybe not, but you have more experience with him. More…observational data."

He gave her an amused look. "Are you conducting an experiment?"

She sighed in exasperation. "I'm serious, Genma! I don't know what to do."

He nodded understandingly, and became more serious. "I'll tell you why I think he's doing this," he said. "There was a girl. Rin."

"His teammate?"

He blinked in surprise. "He told you about her?"

"Not in great detail, but yeah."

"Well she was a medic like you. She was the one who transplanted his eye when their other teammate Obito died. Obito was in love with her. But _she_ was in love with Kakashi."

"Oh boy," she muttered. Wasn't _that_ familiar.

"What?"

"Nothing. So. Love triangle."

"Not quite. When Obito died he asked Kakashi to take care of Rin, and he tried. But Rin wanted more. I don't think he ever had a real romantic interest in her, but I also think even if he did…he couldn't, you know?

Sakura understood. "He thought it would dishonor his friend's memory. So what happened?"

"After a few years Rin got tired of chasing him in vain, got angry, and took an extended mission to get away from him."

The look on his face said it all. "And she never came back," she finished quietly.

He nodded. "He blames himself for her death like he does Obito's. He thinks if he could have loved her, or at least given in to her advances, she wouldn't have gotten killed. Maybe she wouldn't have, at least not that time."

"That doesn't make it his fault."

"No, it doesn't, but we know Kakashi. How he thinks."

She understood his self-recriminating tendencies all too well. "And so now, with me…"

"Rin wanted something he couldn't give her, and he believes that's what got her killed. The guilt he carries over that devastated him. He's terrified it will happen again, and you mean a lot more to him than she did. So I guess he's trying to protect himself by being an asshole and driving you away, or maybe protect _you_ from the side effects of his issues. It's like a conditioned response."

She looked at him strangely. "Like muscle-memory?"

"Something like that." He shrugged, at a loss. "I don't really know. What I do know is he's always been like this, keeping anyone who might fall in love with him at a safe distance. I actually thought he was aiming to be a monk for several years. I've seen him do this before, but when he made up his mind that was the end of it. It's _you_ he can't let go of."

She smiled bitterly. "He certainly tries."

"Old habits die hard…"

She gave him a look. "I don't think this is the same as giving up smoking."

"No," he said gently. "It's harder. Look, I think he already knows what he needs to do. Just don't shut him out, all angry and cold like you have been. Pride and fear of rejection will hold him back if he thinks he doesn't have a chance."

Pride and fear: the fatal flaws that slowly destroyed their relationship—from _both_ sides. It all seemed so stupid now. She leaned in to hug him. "Thanks, Genma."

He patted her back affectionately. "I'll do whatever I can to help you two idiots work it out. You guys are so great together when you just _let_ yourselves be happy."

She sat back, her expression rueful. "I know."

"What will you do?"

She thought about it, and realized she already knew. She had known all along. She gave a faint shrug, and smiled. "It's a good night for last chances."

#

She hardly saw a thing as she walked; all of her attention was focused inward.

Tsunade had passed her Will of Fire to her apprentices. Shizune had never given up, and was now living a life full of love and happiness that even the direst circumstances couldn't touch. Sakura had inherited their master's stubborn pride.

She had cheated herself, and Kakashi too. Cheated them both of the happiness they could have had. And what was she waiting for now? For Kakashi to set down his pride and crawl back to her with some epically beautiful apology and love confession? That wasn't Kakashi. And it wasn't her. Flowery words and gestures meant so very little in their world. What mattered was what was real and tangible, the few moments of shared happiness their dangerous lives afforded them. The warmth and comfort and _strength_ that could only be found in loving another person.

She loved him and there was nothing keeping them apart but themselves and she was the biggest fool in the world.

The camp wasn't very big, and within moments she was standing outside his tent. She waited only a moment, just long enough for him to realize she was there. Then she opened the flap and went inside.

Kakashi was sitting on a crate, sharpening a pile of kunai. He stood as she entered, the surprise clear on his face.

"Sakura…" he said quietly. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Oh. You look…"

Like she was close to losing it? Like she was lost and miserable and desperately afraid of losing him forever? She could only imagine.

"I…" She paused and looked around the interior with a raised brow. "Why do you have such a big tent?" He could stand to his full height, and there was space for at least four bedrolls.

He glanced around indifferently. "Because of the foreign VIPs. Keeping up appearances and all that."

"That's ridiculous. We're tight on space as it is."

"Naruto's is even bigger, because the Kazekage is here."

She rolled her eyes. "Neither of them gives a crap about pomp and circumstance. It's even sillier on the battlefield. "

"You're right, but they do have to uphold certain traditions." He stared at her, clearly wondering why they were talking about this, what she was really doing here.

Sakura had no idea how to begin. Kakashi watched her carefully, expectantly, and also, she thought, with a little hope. It gave her courage.

"I'm still angry with you," she blurted suddenly. "But…" She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. Slowly she moved closer, hesitant, but drawn like a magnet. "But," she repeated softly, looking up at him, "we don't know what will happen tomorrow and I…" The words cut off in her throat, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Kakashi didn't need her to finish. This could be the last night on earth for either of them. Their problems didn't matter. Only what they felt for each other.

He softly brushed his fingertips through her hair, trailed his thumb over her cheek. She leaned into his touch as he closed the distance between them, curved his hand around the back of her neck and lowered his head to kiss her.

Sakura sighed into the kiss, winding her arms around his shoulders. She pressed herself against him and rose up on her toes, unable to get close enough. For weeks she had missed him, wanted him, and she could tell it had been the same for him. He tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her with a passion that made her knees weak. She was losing the battle not to cry, and soon it became hard to breathe.

Kakashi felt her tears on his face and slowly drew back, just enough to look at her. He cupped her face and tenderly wiped her tears away. His eyes held an indescribable mix of emotions, but in them she saw everything she needed to know. She _felt_ it.

She pulled him into another kiss, and when she tugged him toward his bedroll he went eagerly. They sank to their knees, never easing up on the clinging, frantic kisses as they slowly began to undress each other. He fumbled for the nearby lantern, carelessly knocked it over and the light sputtered weakly but didn't quite go out. It was instantly forgotten.

Her hands lovingly, greedily caressed every inch of him. His mouth feverishly ravished her body. And when he was finally inside her the world fell away and all that was left was _this_. All that existed was _them_—Kakashi and Sakura. They both wanted to hold back, to take their time, to savor every second. They tried. But they were swept away by the tide of longing and passion and sadness and the desperate, consuming fear that this was the last time. The night wasn't long enough. They had wasted far too many moments and all they had was now. They made love with the complete abandon of two souls who knew they might never touch each other again.

The night was too short for inadequate explanations, too short for misery, too short for what they were feeling. All of the agonizing words Sakura had meant to say to Kakashi, she held inside. All that he had carefully considered and planned to tell her, he kept to himself. Words were nothing, and so they were silent, communicating something that no language could express.

When they had exhausted themselves to the point of senselessness, still Sakura clung to him, could not stop touching him, could not allow even an inch between their bodies. Kakashi locked his arms around her like she was his greatest possession and she was about to be stolen away. Though it cost them precious minutes, they didn't resist the urge to sleep. They knew what was coming tomorrow, knew they would need their strength.

They woke, warm and entangled, when they heard the beginnings of movement outside. For one brief perfect moment, they were together and _right_ and happy in each other's arms as they should have been all along.

One second only, and then they woke fully and reality was there.

They rose silently and got dressed, armed themselves physically and mentally for what they were about to face. The peace and bliss that had filled the room during the night now turned somber, distant. Not by choice, but by necessity. They were not lovers now but soldiers, preparing to fight for their lives.

Sakura zipped up her flak vest, took a measured breath. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out something that until yesterday she hadn't touched in years. A long strip of red leather, attached to a steel plate engraved with a symbol that was as much a part of her identity as her own name. Slowly, with an almost ceremonial profundity, she tied her hitae-ate into her hair. Kakashi watched her do it, and then tied on his own.

Outside and across the camp, every rebel would be doing the same, reclaiming their rightful place as shinobi of Hidden Leaf.

There were only minutes now until it began.

Kakashi was having a bit of trouble fastening one of his armguards. Sakura moved to his side and took hold of his arm, secured the clasp for him. He gazed down at her, watching her every movement, her every breath.

"I'm scared," she whispered, still holding onto his forearm.

"Me too," he replied softly. She looked up at him. Her body language was tense, almost guarded, but her eyes... Those eyes burned right into his soul.

"Don't you dare die."

He had to smile a little at her endearingly familiar bossiness. "I'll do my best."

She gave a faint nod. "I will too."

"You'd better," he told her.

They looked at one another. Sakura opened her mouth and breathed in. The moment hung suspended in eternity, and Kakashi knew with absolute clarity what she was about to say.

Outside there was a sudden increase in noise. They both looked toward the door. People were running, moving in large numbers, forming up. The signal had been given. It was time to go.

Sakura released his arm and took a small step back toward the exit. She held his gaze, and her lips curved in the shadow of a smile.

And then she was gone.

Kakashi stared after her, frozen.

_It's not enough_, he thought suddenly. A quiet desperation took hold of him. It had never been enough.

He ran out of the tent, through the clusters of mobilizing fighters, until he caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, and she turned to face him in surprise. He stared at her mutely, stricken by everything he felt, all the words that finally wanted to pour out of him. His throat tightened and he couldn't speak.

Kakashi jerked his mask down and crushed his mouth to hers, kissed her passionately, right there in front of everyone. People stopped and stared at them, but to Kakashi and Sakura they weren't even there. He held her head in his hands as she gripped tightly to his vest, but it only lasted a moment.

With a fierce effort of will he tore himself away and looked into her eyes. "I love you," he rasped. His fingertips brushed softly over her cheek. He lingered only a second; anything more and he would never let her go.

Then he turned and quickly walked away.

* * *

TBC


	25. The Will of Fire

Yikes! So sorry, life, work, blah blah. Hope this one makes up for the wait.

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-five: The Will of Fire

* * *

"Hey Mo-chan, fix me a cup of coffee, would ya?"

Moegi got up without the usual rancor she felt when her watch partner tried to boss her around. She'd been assigned to work with Daisuke six months ago, and from day one he'd treated her like his personal secretary; _fix me coffee, go get this, go do that, listen to me bitch and moan about how my life sucks because I'm a stupid, no-talent slacker_. She could run circles around him in just about every way, yet she was stuck on gate duty with this chump because she wouldn't sleep her way into a better assignment. At least he didn't hit on her.

Gate duty did have its advantages, though. She knew every face that came and went into Konoha, as well as their reasons for coming or going. Information she put to good use in the resistance. However, after what happened at the botched execution incident, the insurgency had gone almost completely dark.

She walked to the back of the gatehouse and started a fresh pot of coffee, leaned a hip against the counter and looked out across the empty roadway while it brewed. The first tint of pink was visible on the horizon. She glanced back at Daisuke. His head was down on the table, resting on his arms.

"I'm never drinking again," he whined.

"You say that every time."

"I'm serious this time."

Moegi rolled her eyes and tuned away. He wasn't just an asshole; she hated him because he was one of the few non-Root Leaf nin who didn't secretly oppose Danzou. He was the privileged son of a council member, handed the easiest and least dangerous post in the Konoha military. The changes made under the new regime had very little effect on him, and he didn't care how others might have suffered.

"Hey – make it strong, yeah?"

"It's already made. You'll have to take it as it is."

He grunted and went quiet, probably in an attempt to fall asleep.

Every time they worked first shift it was the same; her partner was hung over, acted like more of a pig than usual, made her open the gates by herself, and demanded she make the coffee.

Today she was counting on it.

The pot gave its final gurgle and clicked over to the warmer. She pulled two paper cups from the stack and filled them, glanced at Daisuke to make sure his head was still down, then quickly reached into her pocket, pulled out a tiny envelope and dumped its contents into her partner's cup. She carried the cups back to the table.

Daisuke finally lifted his head, reached for his cup and took as big a drink as the temperature would allow. "You're a peach, Mo," he sighed.

Moegi smiled amiably, took a sip of her coffee, and picked up her magazine.

She still hadn't learned the full story, wasn't sure _anyone_ had pieced it all together yet, but one of the cells had been captured attempting to sabotage a shipment of weapons heading for Swamp country. The public execution was an obvious trap, but they couldn't just throw away their comrades' lives. Root was laying in wait for them. Things hadn't gone as planned, as they often don't in war, and the fight got ugly. Somehow, Nara Shikaku had been forced to expose himself as their leader. His wife Yoshino and Yamanaka Inoichi were compromised by association. Within hours their entire leadership had gone into hiding. Everyone was on edge. Moegi was still jumping at shadows, half expecting Root to storm her house in the middle of the night. Things had been scarily quiet for nearly two weeks now, and what few orders she received came through in the most roundabout ways.

And then yesterday, some very surprising visitors arrived in town. She'd directed them to a safehouse, and then they, too, disappeared. Then Yuugao showed up at her house in the middle of last night and gave her the powder, told her to use it this morning and be ready for anything.

Fifteen or so minutes had passed quietly when Daisuke was startled fully awake as a small toad suddenly jumped onto the table. "What the hell!" he gasped, sitting all the way back in his chair. He snatched Moegi's magazine out of her hands and swatted at the intruder. "Get! Shoo!"

Moegi sighed and reached for the little creature. "It's just a toad. Don't be such a sissy."

"Uh-uh," he said warily. "Those things give you warts. And have you ever seen one in that color? Get that freaky thing out of here."

She carefully picked it up and held it between her hands as she stood. "They come in all sorts of colors," she said, gently poking the toad's vibrant orange head. "Don't you, little guy?"

Daisuke gave her a strange look. "Why are you smiling like that? You must really love frogs."

"It's a toad," she corrected, grinning broadly. "And yeah, I guess you could say that." She carried the toad out of the gatehouse and placed it in a patch of grass nearby. She gave its head a little pat, and it croaked at her once before leaping away. As she turned back she noticed three figures down the road, making their way to the village.

"We got three approaching," she called to Daisuke.

He groaned irritably. "You deal with it. I don't feel so hot." He swayed a little in his seat.

"No problem," she said. She went to grab the sign-in clipboard and calmly walked to the gate.

The men were dressed plainly, like typical merchants, only they had no wares. Most of the other merchants arrived the moment the gates opened at four, to set up their stalls in time for market opening. Two of the men were young and fit, the third was middle-aged, short, and very round. "Good morning," she said, polite but brisk as usual. She held out the clipboard. "State your name and business here."

The handsome one with the ponytail and mischievous green eyes smiled at her as he took the clipboard and scribbled down a few names.

"Is it just the three of you?" she asked.

"Some friends will be coming to meet us later," said the other young one, who wore a bandana tied around his shaved head. Her eyes flicked to just behind his ear, where the cloth failed to hide the tail of a scar that stretched across his scalp. "In fact, they're on their way right now."

"Do you want to wait for them?"

"Nah," said the cute one. "They're pretty familiar with the place. They'll know where to go."

"I see." He handed the clipboard back to her and she glanced over it briefly. "Alright then," she said. "Carry on."

They did, and as they passed by she glanced toward the gatehouse just in time to watch her partner slump forward, unconscious. She heard his forehead thump the table from where she stood. Moegi maintained the façade as she watched Touga, Sentoki, and Mochi walk casually into the village, just as they had yesterday morning. Her useless partner might be out, but there were still eyes on the walls.

"Welcome to Konoha!" she called pleasantly after them. "It's going to be a _beautiful_ day!"

She watched them another moment, then walked back to the gatehouse. She grabbed Daisuke by his flak vest and hauled him off his chair onto the floor, shoved him under the table with her boot. She picked up the handheld radio from the tabletop and changed the frequency.

"This is Moegi at the gate," she said into the receiver. She tried to stay calm on the outside, but inside she was doing cartwheels. "It's time."

"_Got it_," was the almost immediate response. The voice belonged to Inuzuka Tsume. "_The welcome wagon is rolling_."

Moegi smiled, and sat back down to finish her coffee.

* * *

Aided by the cover of a light early morning fog, Sakura sped through the forest, fleet-footed and silent. The trees soon thinned and tapered to an end; the forest had been cleared within three hundred meters of the outer wall so the sentries could see anything that approached. The sun was just beginning to rise in the east, turning the world from blue to gray. She paused at the treeline and looked out across the clearing. The mist was thinner out there, rapidly dissipating under the warming light of dawn.

It was a straight shot to the wall, but one with no cover or defense. Her fingers formed a series of seals that would cloak her in a genjutsu, but it wasn't perfect; her feet would still leave tracks in the dew-laden grass, the fog would swirl around her as she passed. Anyone who happened to look directly at her would see the distortion of her shape in the air.

Sakura inhaled a deep breath, readying herself. She had to make it. There was simply no other option.

She exhaled and shot forward into the clearing, running hard, her eyes straight ahead. There were a few spots along the base of the wall where one couldn't be seen from the top, just beneath the slight overhang of the guard towers, and that was where she headed. She made it within a few seconds and leaned heavily against the wall, panting after what felt like the longest, hardest run of her life. As long as she didn't move from this spot, the sentries along the wall wouldn't see her. She rested only a few seconds, and then pressed her fingers to the radio mic at her throat. "It's Sakura," she whispered. "I'm in position." She was on the north side of the wall; Kurenai was heading for the east, Aoba the south. A few minutes later they both confirmed they were in position as well.

"Get ready," Kurenai whispered in her earpiece. Sakura closed her eyes, controlled her breathing, and focused her chakra. "Initiate in five…four…three…two…go!"

She began the complicated, three-part series of seals and chanted the incantation in a measured cadence that the three of them had practiced to perfection over the past week. The first set activated the justu, the second linked the three separate elements together, and the third sent the massive genjutsu forth to do its work. The energy of the jutsu swelled within her, and when the seals were complete she gasped as it flooded from her and surged outward in a wide net of power, invisibly covering the entire wall.

On the battlement above, the patrolling sentries all stopped. After a few moments they started walking again, their expressions behind their masks blank and staring, their minds playing a continuing loop of their regular uneventful routines, oblivious to what was actually happening around them. They didn't see the shadows of movement at the edge of the trees as the rebel army surrounded the village.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. The two back-to-back genjutsu had taken a lot out of her, and her part in this operation had only just begun. Now she had to fight her way across the village to the hospital, secure it, and set up an emergency triage. Fortunately the majority of the village defense would head toward the gates where Naruto and the main force would strike. She might just make it through unchallenged. Right. And Danzou might surrender power and let himself be killed without a fight.

She pooled her chakra into her hands and feet and prepared to climb the wall. Whatever happened on the other side, she would just have to deal with it. Again, failure was not an option.

In her ear she heard Kurenai give the signal for phase two. "The wall is secure. Cue the barrier team."

* * *

The barrier that surrounded Konoha in an invisible sphere worked in two ways. Under normal circumstances it was an undetectable energy field that alerted those who maintained it to any incoming movement past its boundary. But if the sentries atop the wall spotted an enemy presence, the barrier could become a shield that repelled all chakra—and therefore any shinobi or jutsu that attempted to penetrate it. The only way to get through was to prevent that first alarm from being raised, and even then, there was no way to pass completely undetected.

Kakashi, Lee and Sasuke had only moments to reach the barrier room. It was why they were chosen for this task: no one could match them in speed. Once the sentries on the wall had been neutralized and the signal was given, they scaled the wall, passed through the barrier, and zipped across the village in a blur.

Kakashi had worried that Sasuke's lack of normal vision would hinder him. In fact he'd been wary to work with Sasuke at all. He knew Sasuke wanted Danzou dead, but he didn't trust him a moment beyond that. Naruto believed in him, though, and even Sakura believed that if nothing else, his intentions were honest. Ultimately, Kakashi believed in _them_, so when Sasuke approached him, he'd reluctantly agreed. Personal feelings aside, he wouldn't deny that Sasuke was a good ally to have in a fight. Sasuke had explained that he could follow by mimicking Kakashi and Lee's movements exactly, and that his ability to see chakra kept him from being absolutely blind. It was like finding your way around in the dark, he said; difficult, but not impossible. He had no trouble keeping up.

There was no time for subtlety in their breakneck infiltration. Lee simply opened two of his chakra gates and powerkicked a hole through the roof, and they dropped directly into the room where the barrier was maintained. The five guardians were stunned by the abrupt intrusion, and they weren't fighters. In a matter of seconds they were neutralized and bound.

Kakashi spoke into his mic and gave the command everyone was waiting for: "The barrier is down. All teams move forward."

Lee looked to him and asked, "Where do we go now?"

"Nowhere," he answered. "They'll be coming for us any second." He nicked his finger with a kunai and knelt down to summon his ninken.

Their job wasn't as simple as knocking out a few psychic jutsu masters. After the attack by Pein and Akatsuki in which the barrier was so easily breached, extra security measures had been put in place. In addition to the backup teams who rotated in shifts to keep the barrier up around the clock, there was another group in a different location whose only job was to monitor the barrier should anything happen to the guardians. An alarm had undoubtedly been raised the second the barrier went down.

As expected, in under a minute Root agents stormed the building and swarmed into the room. Lee crouched into a fighting stance, while Kakashi and Sasuke drew their swords. The eight ninken bristled and snarled, eagerly awaiting the command to attack. The enemy advanced and fanned out to surround them. Kakashi counted sixteen in total, four squads. Roughly five to one, and they were probably just the first wave.

Then to everyone's surprise, one of the captains signaled his squad to hold. "Hatake Kakashi," he said. "If you're here, does this mean what I think it means?"

Kakashi nodded once. "It does."

The captain turned to his squad. "Well, boys. Time to put an end to this farce." As one, they turned their swords on their fellow masked companions.

These four were regular ANBU, responding as expected to a threat against their village. Until they saw who they were dealing with and what it meant. They removed their masks to distinguish themselves, and slowly started backing toward Kakashi and his team.

Kakashi smiled. Their odds had just gone up. And if this was any indication, retaking Konoha was about to get a whole lot easier.

The Root agents rushed them, and the fight was on.

A box of solid concrete with no windows and only one way in or out, the barrier room was intentionally designed to be a deathtrap for anyone who managed to breach it. But they were determined to make it a deathtrap for the Root agents and not themselves. They could simply escape through the hole in the roof, but they had one additional task to perform: divert as many troops to this location as they could handle while Naruto went after Danzou and the rest of their army stormed the gates.

The Root agents almost immediately ganged up on Kakashi in an attempt to take out the opponent they viewed as the biggest threat. He could only cover so many angles at once, and despite the help from his dogs, he soon found himself becoming overwhelmed.

Then he heard a familiar crackling screech that did not come from him. Instinctively alarmed, he whipped around as he was attacked from behind…only it was a Root agent who stood with his sword raised to strike a killing blow. He had been stopped by the lightning chakra protruding through his chest from behind, focused into a lethal bolt by Sasuke's sword. The agent dropped dead to the ground, and Kakashi stared at the other man in stunned surprise.

Sasuke, who hated him, who had tried twice to kill him, had just saved his life.

The once-student walked up to the once-teacher, chakra-coated sword in hand. There was a lengthy conversation that could be had about what just happened, and maybe they would get to have it later. But for now, Kakashi simply nodded and said, "Thanks."

Sasuke gave a small half-smile and angled himself beside Kakashi in a defensive formation. They could hear the next wave of Root agents approaching fast down the hall.

Watching each other's back as they hadn't in years, Kakashi and Sasuke met the next attack head on.

* * *

Naruto stood perfectly still, eyes closed as he focused his Sage chakra into the earth. Tendrils of his energy spread outward detecting every living thing for a mile around. But right now, all his concentration was locked onto one. He let everything else fade, honing in on that one small speck of life like a beacon.

"The barrier is down," Shikamaru said at his side, echoing Kakashi's words.

That was all he needed to know. His eyes snapped open, transfigured: toadlike yellow.

Chakra flared up around him in a bright golden aura, and he shot off like a rocket. Tenzou and Sai were right behind.

With no formal command or rallying battle cry, the rebel army rushed toward the gates in a silent, determined fury. His comrades had to run, but Naruto simply leapt and cleared the open space in a single jump, landing with the force of a small quake just inside the gates—which were open in welcome and completely undefended. It seemed their messenger had arrived in time.

A kunoichi with a shock of curly red hair ran out of the guardhouse toward him, her familiar face alight with glee. She stopped a few feet away and grinned in excitement. "Welcome home, Hokage-sama!"

Naruto smiled at her. "Hey Moegi. It's good to be back." His smile faded as he focused again on that little pinpoint chakra signature. It was already on the move. He had to catch Danzou before he fled the village. "Can't stick around," he said. "I've got some _serious_ ass to kick."

She cheered them on as they sped away toward the Hokage Tower, and then ran to the gates to join the approaching army.

He expected Root to try and intercept them, and they did. But in full Sage mode, his considerable power enhanced even further by the Kyuubi's assistance, there were very few who could stand against him. Tenzou and Sai were there to cover his back, but they had little to do so far. Naruto swatted away every enemy attacker like flies. They barely even slowed him down.

What he paid more attention to were the regular Leaf troops who came near to defend against the "intruder," but then recognized him and immediately turned on the nearest Root agents. He moved too fast to see it with his own eyes, but he sensed the chain reaction happening in his wake, rippling out across the village as word of the rebels' return spread. He had believed in those who were left behind, believed they would stand up and fight when the moment came. He was ecstatic to be right, and it was equally clear they had never stopped believing in _him_. It was enough to make him get emotional, if he wasn't already so furious.

Another familiar face caught up to them when they were about halfway across the village. Nara Shikaku paced him with an enormous grin on his face. "I wish we'd known you were coming sooner!" he called.

"You know me," he returned cheerfully, "I'm the number one most unpredictable ninja! Thanks for giving these bastards hell while we were gone."

The leader of the insurgency laughed. "The pleasure was all mine. Where's my boy?"

"At the gate, leading the big charge."

Shikaku fell back with a good luck salute, and turned in the direction of the gates.

Naruto and his teammates approached the Hokage Tower and weren't surprised at all to find it swarming with Root defenders. Danzou was currently rushing toward the Tower's secret back exit. The tunnel led away into the mountain behind the monument, an emergency evacuation route for the villagers in the event Konoha was lost. It hadn't been used since the Kyuubi attack nearly twenty years ago, but now Danzou and his personal guard were rushing through it at top speed.

That tunnel was protected by ten feet of solid stone, and while his Rasengan was powerful, it wouldn't get through that in a single blow. He only knew one person who could, but Sakura was on the other side of the village and couldn't get here fast enough. He touched down on a stretch of open ground for a moment and summoned Gama Bunta. The toad giant towered above him, waiting for orders. Naruto leapt onto a rooftop so they were on a level and said, "When I tell you to, I want you to smash through exactly where I'm standing." Gama Bunta smirked eagerly and followed as Naruto leapt away. He stopped on a stretch of roadway leading up to the top of the monument and shouted "Now!"

With a booming power-grunt, Gama Bunta drove his palm into the mountainside. The section of tunnel collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the rock face. After a few moments, when the dust cloud began to clear, a stunned and battered group of Root agents scrambled out onto the road.

In their midst was Danzou. To his credit, now that he had been caught, he didn't try to run again.

"I knew you were sneaky, but I didn't realize you were this much of a coward," Naruto said scathingly. "Did you really think you could escape? You could never run far enough to get away from me."

Without warning, Sai and Tenzou set upon the Root escort, allowing Naruto to appear suddenly at Danzou's side, grab hold of him and leap away. He vaulted them in bounding leaps up the mountainside, up to the wide, flat bluff at the top of the Hokage monument.

Naruto could have killed him then, but there was no need to take that advantage because he had already won. He released him, allowing him to get his bearings. There was nowhere to run now, unless he went off the side of the cliff, in which case Naruto wouldn't stop him. Here, the collateral damage would be minimal. Danzou would fight, but that was okay. Naruto wanted him to understand the full extent of his failure before the end.

Danzou faced off with him. "You ignorant child," he snarled. "I've seen many like you in my time – all show and no substance. You impress those who are easy to fool, but do you really think you can create the Senju's ridiculous utopia with image alone?"

"Oh I see," Naruto said. "You're doing that whole throwing insults and accusations back and forth while you stall for time thing." He shrugged. "Sure, I'll play along. But no one is coming to defend you. The entire village is rising up, and Konoha isn't the only village fighting here. The Alliance is finished with your lies and schemes. You have no idea what kind of storm you've brought down on yourself."

Danzou absorbed that information, and it was clear on his face that he knew he had lost. Still, he did not back down. "I may be attempting to stall, but you…where is the honor in gloating? If you intend to kill me, go ahead and try. But I may surprise you, boy. It isn't going to be easy."

Naruto's expression was grave. "Nothing about this is easy. But because of _you_, it's necessary. All of this started because you refused to go down quietly and decided to stage a coup, murder the Hokage, and crush this village under your fist. No, there's no prison for you this time."

"Well that's one thing we agree on." Danzou shifted his left arm out of his robes, revealing that the arm wasn't disabled, but secured by a complex sealing mechanism, which he now unlocked.

Naruto watched as the bolts fell free and the bandages came off until the arm was exposed – sickly pale and wrinkled, and implanted with six Sharingan eyeballs. "I'm guessing those give you some freaky extra power," he said. "You got a habit of stealing things that don't belong to you, huh?" His expression shifted from surprise to revulsion. "Also…that's really gross, dude."

Danzou's only response was to attack. He was fast for an old man; in his prime he must have been a truly formidable warrior. Naruto was never caught off guard by any of his attacks, but Danzou was remarkably good at evasion tactics. Naruto was surprised to learn they shared the wind element chakra nature. Danzou unleashed a barrage of shuriken enhanced with wind into giant whirling fan blades. Naruto dispersed them with his own wind jutsu – the more powerful Rasen-Shuriken. With so much wind-element jutsu flying around, haphazardly redirected, it was a good thing Naruto had brought them up here where there were no bystanders.

When the wind-shuriken failed, Danzou switched to a multi-tailed wind-whip that cut through the air with deadly force, and Naruto was momentarily put on the defensive as the old war hawk flickered around the bluff, lashing out from every direction. Then Naruto used his Kyuubi-enhanced power to hurl a ball of pure demon-chakra straight at Danzou. A direct hit would have killed him instantly, but Danzou managed to evade at the last second and received a glancing blow that knocked him halfway across the bluff and nearly caused him to go over the edge.

It took him a while to recover, but Naruto held back and let him stand. He'd noted that every time Danzou received a hard blow he weakened considerably, and one of the Sharingan on his arm closed. What would happen when they all closed, or if he severed the arm?

"You think I don't know anything about you or what you've done for Konoha," he told the old soldier. "But I know you were a commander in the last Great War, and you led many shinobi in battle. You've given your entire life to this village, and I know you always _believed_ you were acting in the best interest of Konoha. I know you _still_ believe that, even now. I respect that. So I'm giving you a choice. You can be publically tried by the people you oppressed for the last three years and see what _they_ do to you…or you can fight me like the great warrior you used to be."

Danzou responded with a scathing laugh. "Do you really believe these puffed-up displays of heroism are what make a leader? You're a fool, living in a fantasy. Being the favored pet of the previous Hokage doesn't qualify you to rule. Sarutobi kept your parentage from you precisely so you _wouldn't_ grow up with that sort of entitlement, yet here you are, expecting the crown to be handed to you on a silver platter. You have no idea what Konoha needs. You have no experience! You're still a goddamned teenager!"

The words stung, because Naruto knew they weren't entirely wrong. His ambition to become Hokage had started as nothing more than sheer arrogant bluster, born out of a need to prove he wasn't worthless. But that had changed. He had grown up. Now his desire to be the leader of Hidden Leaf was based on a deep love for his home and a selfless need to protect it and its people at all costs. And on a personal level, it was about living up to the legacy of his father, the Fourth Hokage, and his mother, the previous Jinchuuriki, who had sacrificed their lives for him. For Tsunade and Jiraiya, who taught him everything and had died protecting Konoha. For all the people he loved, and for everyone who had come to believe in him.

"You're right," he admitted. "I am really young, even younger than my dad when he became Hokage. And maybe the rest of it was also true at one point. But I'd say the past three years have given me plenty of leadership experience in just about the worst situation imaginable. And it's all because of you. So thanks for that." He smiled.

Danzou snarled in rage, and came at him again.

* * *

Sakura ran like the wind through the streets and over the rooftops, staying well away from the hotspots of combat springing up all around the village. She would fight anyone who attempted to stop her, but it was even better if she simply didn't encounter any opposition.

Of course that wasn't possible when the entire village had become a battle zone. The first attack came from a lone Root agent who struck at her from behind. She ducked and spun, kicking his legs out from under him. His forward momentum caused him to tumble across the roof and fall into the alley below. Sakura leapt down after him and finished him off before he could get back to his feet. Then she was back up on the rooftops and running.

Another quarter mile, and a full squad of four appeared and surrounded her. They closed in as one, and Sakura's evasion skills were put to the test. Fortunately, rapid evasion was the first thing Tsunade taught her. She cartwheeled out of the way of one agent's kick and crouched low, delivering a low spinning kick to a second attacker which broke both his legs and sent him crashing to the ground below. A hole was created in their circle, and she moved around and behind the third. She aimed a roundhouse kick at his back, but he ducked at the same moment the fourth agent slashed at her with his sword. Sakura spun aside just in time, and growing impatient with the whole thing, drove her foot forcefully into the tile below. The roof collapsed, sending the injured agents crashing down into the rubble. That left only one, and as they alighted on the next roof over he came at her with another sword slash. Sakura somersaulted over him and delivered a punch squarely between his shoulder blades, shattering his spine.

She glanced ruefully at the house she'd demolished and belatedly hoped no one had been inside. She decided to check and be sure, but found nothing but dead and dying Root agents. Satisfied she hadn't inadvertently injured or killed anyone, she resumed her mad dash to the hospital.

No one else attacked her on the way, and as she reached the hospital grounds she saw Shizune and the four Suna medics approaching from the south gate. They joined up and pushed through the main entrance together.

The lobby was crowded with confused and frightened hospital staff, watching through the windows and loudly speculating about what was going on outside. They fell silent as the six medics burst in. Everyone recognized Sakura and Shizune, and their expressions ranged from surprise and relief to wariness.

"This hospital is now under my control by the authority of the true Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto," Sakura announced loudly. "As you can tell, there's a fight happening outside. The wounded will be coming in any minute, so we don't have time to deal with any bullshit."

"Anyone who has a problem, leave now," Shizune added forcefully.

A couple of the civilian nurses slinked away and quietly slipped out. Sakura made a mental note of their faces for later, but let them go. Most of the staff stayed, as she hoped they would. It was their duty to care for the sick and injured, and they usually didn't get involved in the whys and hows. There were a few medics in the back of the group who now came forward with smiles and greetings. They had been in training when Sakura last saw them. She smiled back. There was no question about _their_ loyalty.

They wasted no time preparing for emergency triage, and couldn't help but be aware of how great it was to have an entire hospital at their disposal again: beds, monitors, surgical equipment, and all the drugs and tools they had struggled to obtain as nomadic fugitives.

Including the former trainees, the number of medic ninja now totaled ten. Shizune sent three of them out into the battle to direct the walking wounded and assist those who couldn't make it on their own. At one point, Sakura and Shizune shared an understanding smile. Today they were proper combat medics again, following standard operating procedure, without the chaos and exhausting themselves to the point of collapse. They could handle this with ease.

Waiting for incoming wounded gave Sakura a little downtime to recover some of the chakra lost to genjutsu and fighting on the way. It also gave her time to think about her final moments with Kakashi.

She was still reeling from it, could still feel the heat of his lips against hers in the cold morning air, could still see the look in his eyes, all that love and fear and anguish just for her as everyone around them stared. She'd been so shocked by the gravity of what he'd done that she couldn't even react, couldn't tell him she loved him too and they were so stupid for avoiding it until what could literally be their last moment. She was regretting her lack of action intensely, but she refused to dwell on what-ifs and should-haves.

They would both survive this day, and then she would tell him everything.

There was no more time to think anyway, because the first of the wounded was coming through the door.

* * *

The rebel army stormed through the open gates and spread out across the village in small groups, heading everywhere at once so any Root dispatched to defend against them wouldn't know where to go first or how many to send. One group took over the outer wall and imprisoned the still-entranced sentries. Another two groups cleared out the Hokage Tower and locked it down. Several more secured the weapons caches located around the village. Everywhere they went they made it loudly known that Naruto and the Leaf rebels had returned to take Konoha back from Danzou and his iron regime. And everywhere they went Konoha troops came out to meet them and added to their ranks.

Hinata, Hanabi and Tenten broke off from the main force early on and headed straight for the Hyuuga compound. The Hyuuga clan was likely to be their biggest threat…unless Neji and his fellow dissidents had managed to wrap things up from the inside.

As far as Hinata knew, her father was still leading the clan. He had to be, because Neji wouldn't have dared make a move without more support. She experienced a moment of fear at the idea of facing her father again after all that had happened, but it was quickly dissolved by her anger and determination, and the strength she gained from her friends.

The gates to the compound were barred shut, and armed guards stood outside…but there appeared to be no obvious activity within the compound. Nothing that would indicate the Hyuuga were mobilizing to defend Konoha.

The three kunoichi came to a wary stop. It couldn't be that easy.

"There's no point in fighting us," Hanabi told the stoic guards, though she hesitated in saying it, because they didn't appear to have any intention of doing so. "Our fight is with my father and the elders. Let us in before we break the gate."

To their surprise and suspicion, the guards did as they were told without a word of protest.

"This could be a trap," Tenten said, her eyes rapidly scanning the area.

Hinata and Hanabi thought the same, and activated their Byakugan. Inside the compound, their clansmen clustered together here and there, talking. They were obviously aware of what was going on outside, and most of them looked anxious, but no one was preparing to do anything. Hyuuga Hiashi and the clan elders were in the council chamber, but they too were merely having a discussion, albeit a heated one with large gestures and angry expressions. Were they arguing about what action the clan should take?

"I don't see Neji," Hanabi said.

"He won't be here," Hinata reminded her. "He was already under suspicion, remember? Naruto said that after he helped me escape he went underground with the resistance."

"Too bad we don't know where he is. He'd want to be part of this." Hanabi scanned the council chamber. "Father and the elders…what do you think they're doing?"

"Probably waiting until they think they know who's going to win."

Tenten huffed impatiently. "This is fine for you two, but I have no idea what's happening. Trap or not, can we just go kick someone's ass now?"

The three of them passed cautiously through the gates, which the guards closed ominously behind them. The Hyuuga women kept their Byakugan active as they made their way slowly into the heart of the compound. It was eerie how _un_threatening their surroundings were. Almost everyone was outside, and the runaway heiresses immediately drew attention. People began to follow, and soon there was a growing crowd of Hyuuga trailing after them.

Finally Hanabi couldn't take it anymore. She spun around to face her kin. "Alright, this is too creepy. Someone tell me what's going on around here."

One of their branch house third cousins stepped forward. "Hiashi-sama and the elders forbade us from acting without orders, and they locked themselves away in council as soon as the alarm was raised."

"And you're just standing around like jackasses waiting to be told what to do?" Hanabi exclaimed. "Who's going to stop you? They can't punish you when they're all about to be locked in a prison cell."

Their cousin looked chagrined. "Well, to tell the truth …we're actually waiting for word from Neji-sama."

"Then consider me officially giving the signal," Neji said as he landed on the roof above them. The three kunoichi smiled at the sight of him. He had kept his word and orchestrated a covert rebellion within the Hyuuga clan, and they were just waiting for the right moment to take action. That moment was now. He leapt lightly to the ground and joined his cousins and teammate. "Figure's you'd show up when I was on the other side of the village."

"Sorry we couldn't give you proper notice," Hinata replied wryly.

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry your escape was compromised because of me. You must have believed I betrayed you…"

She had for a couple weeks, before she learned the truth. "It wasn't your fault, and it doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is bringing Hiashi and the elders to justice."

He nodded. "Right. Let's do it."

The four of them continued on to the manor house and adjoined council chamber. The crowd of supportive and curious Hyuuga had swelled to nearly a hundred, and they fanned out in a semicircle around the entrance to the council chamber, anticipating the confrontation about to take place.

"Hyuuga Hiashi!" Neji shouted in challenge.

A hush had fallen over the compound; the clan seemed to be holding its collective breath. Several moments passed in tense silence. Finally the door to the council chamber slid open, and the elders emerged with the clan leader in front. The five elders were shocked by the gathering outside, but Hyuuga Hiashi took in the scene with a disdainful frown.

"I expected my wayward children to arrive shortly," he said, shooting a stern look at each of them. Next his eyes scanned the crowd of silent Hyuuga. "But what is the meaning of _this_?"

"The six of you have disgraced the Hyuuga name and led our clan astray," Neji declared. "It's time to answer for your wrongs."

Hiashi actually laughed; if a muted sound of scorn and irony could be considered a laugh. "Are you staging a coup, nephew?"

Neji frowned. "It's no more than you've done."

"Yes it is," Hanabi interjected, talking to Neji but eyeing her father with contempt. "In the last coup he just stood by and watched. He didn't even have the guts to pick a side and accept his fate."

"My fate is the fate of this clan, girl," Hiashi returned harshly.

Hinata finally spoke up. "Not anymore."

Hiashi glared at his eldest daughter, but his eyes held surprise and disappointment, as if he expected this least from her. That only proved how little he knew her; after treating her all her life like he wished she were someone else, or never born at all, she was the one with the most cause to turn on him in the end.

One of the elders spoke up, in the same condescending tone as the clan leader. "And how, exactly, do you plan to make us pay for our supposed 'wrongs'? Do you intend to kill us all, here, with the entire clan as witness? You've certainly set a grand enough stage for this little drama."

"Surrender peacefully into our custody," Hinata told them. "And we will deliver you to the Hokage. You will be tried for your crimes against Konoha and punished accordingly."

Hiashi wasn't the only one who laughed at that. They clearly believed themselves untouchable.

"Fine," Neji said. "If you want to do this the hard way…then I challenge you for leadership of the Hyuuga clan."

Hiashi's smirk fell. Without another word, he stepped down from the terrace and faced off against his nephew. Neji took a fighting stance, his palms raised outward. Everyone stepped back to give them room—and to keep themselves safe against what was about to happen.

"It's your challenge, Neji," the clan leader said with deadly calm. "The first move is yours."

The Hyuuga clan expected the fight between their leader and his heir to be epic in scale, given the strength of the opponents and the magnitude of the situation. In that, they weren't disappointed. But no one expected it to be over so quickly. Hinata wasn't the only one who had been keeping secrets about power.

In less than ten minutes Hyuuga Hiashi was on his knees, breathing hard with Neji standing over him. If he made another move, Neji would strike a blow from which he wouldn't get up.

"Kill me," Hiashi rasped, glaring up at his nephew through a tangled curtain of hair.

"No," Neji replied calmly. "I won't make it easy for you."

Hiashi coughed and spat blood onto the ground. "Weakness," he sneered. "I thought you would be strong once, but I was wrong. You have always been weak of heart and mind."

"If he's weak for letting you live," Hinata said quietly, coming to stand beside Neji, "then you are a coward for begging to die." It was the coldest, and _boldest_ thing she'd ever said to her father. And for the first time, she felt no fear or anger toward him, only a wearying kind of pity. It saddened her that it had come to this in the end.

"You want me to go to prison? You understand _nothing_. The Hyuuga clan has maintained its reputation for centuries. Any record of what happened here will stain the honor of this family."

Neji shook his head. "It's _you_ who doesn't understand. You've always underestimated this family. You think the clan's strength comes only from its leader, but it's the other way around. You and your council have been keeping us from moving forward and adapting to the times. The Hyuuga clan won't just survive you; it will be _better_."

And with that, Neji delivered a lightning-fast blow that knocked the former clan leader unconscious. Two branch house guards came forward to bind his hands, while three more moved to restrain the elders. With the strongest of them defeated, they didn't resist further. They were taken to a detention cell within the compound, where they would stay until it was safe to move them.

Tenten went up to Neji, and with a big smile, finally greeted the teammate she hadn't seen in three years. "Hi."

Neji smiled back. "Hi. Where's Lee?"

"With Kakashi, taking out the barrier. Your lip's bleeding." She reached up and wiped the blood from his chin with her thumb.

"Erm…oh." It seemed silly after what he'd faced minutes ago, but he blushed and almost shied away…but then didn't. "I'm glad to see you," he said. He glanced at her briefly, then wouldn't meet her eyes as he added, "I uh…I missed you."

Tenten nodded slowly, her grin widening. "I missed you too." Then before he could react she grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. Neji froze in shock, but after a couple seconds he relaxed and his arms came around her. By the look of it, no one would know it was their first. It had clearly been a long time in coming.

"Hey! You guys can get a room later," Hanabi heckled. "There's still a lot of work to do."

The teammates broke apart and looked at one another. They were both blushing now, and incapable of hiding their smiles. "I agree," Tenten said. "I mean I'm glad things worked out so easily here, but…I was kinda hoping to get in a fight."

Neji nodded. "It's not too late for that."

Two of the branch house elders, who had been excluded from the council because of their lower status, cautiously came forward and addressed them. "Neji-sama, the branch house supports you and offers its assistance with whatever you need," said one. The other elder turned to the sisters and said, "Hinata-sama. Hanabi-sama. It's good to have you home."

"Well we didn't come alone," Hanabi replied pointedly. "We brought a whole army of pissed off Leaf shinobi who would be glad to have the Hyuuga clan's help in taking this village back."

"They have it," Neji said. He turned to face his clansmen. "We dishonored ourselves by doing nothing once before. We will not do it again. Hyuuga! Follow me!"

With a rallying cry the shinobi of the Hyuuga clan raced for the compound gate, eager to join the fight.

* * *

"We have things well under control here," Shizune told Sakura as they reassessed the situation in the triage. The fact that they had a few minutes to stand together and talk was proof of that. "Why don't you take a couple more medics out?"

That would put five in the fray and five here at the hospital. Sakura nodded. "Okay. I'll take Satoshi and Taro."

Truthfully, she was dying to know what was going on out there. The reports coming in were sketchy; nothing painted a big picture. Had Naruto defeated Danzou yet? Did they have a secure hold on the village? The number of incoming wounded was trickling down, but that didn't necessarily mean anything good. It could just mean those still out there were too critical to make it back.

She took Shiko and led the two medics out into the village-turned-warzone. They moved together for a few blocks, and then she ordered the other medics to take their search in a different direction. Sakura knew she would be fine on her own, and alternated her search from ground level and the rooftops for a wider vantage point. Shiko stayed on the ground tracking scents.

The areas surrounding the municipal buildings were where the action concentrated most. They were the first places the rebels went when they stormed the village, and ever since had been fighting to take or defend them from Root. Sakura cautiously worked her way toward the place she thought would be the hottest: the Jounin HQ and the auxiliary building that housed ANBU.

While on the roofs she looked for Naruto, but from what she could tell the Hokage Tower was oddly quiet and undamaged. Then she saw him: a bright flare of golden-yellow like a tiny sun shooting into the air. He was on the bluff atop the Hokage monument, almost directly above the face of the Fourth Hokage. She smiled and silently cheered him on.

Then she felt a familiar twinge of chakra and turned to just make out a quick flash of silver flickering across the rooftops. It was gone as soon as it came, but she knew it had been Kakashi, heading for that same beacon of light. When Root realized Konoha was lost, they would make their last stand protecting their leader. And so with their first task complete, Kakashi's team would now join Sai and Tenzou to guard against any Root attempting to reach Danzou for the remainder of the battle.

Her smile widened at the sight of him, however brief. It was enough to know he was okay. She mouthed a silent prayer for all her teammates and continued on. She stopped a few times to help wounded comrades that Shiko led her to, healing them enough that they could make it to the hospital before she moved on. As she traveled she saw several sights that filled her with wonder, pride, and joy.

On the other side of the village the Kazekage was in the sky, held aloft by the sand he controlled. None of the Root could reach him up there, and he was wreaking havoc on every foe within sight. Further east, another flash of orange light similar to Naruto when he was using his bijuu chakra could be seen on a distant rooftop, and she guessed that was where Killerbee was fighting with his Cloud nin. Their foreign allies had been a tremendous help this day, a game-changer that Danzou and Root could not have seen coming.

What Danzou probably _had_ seen coming, but was still powerless to prevent in the end, was the rest of the Konoha forces joining up with the rebels. Even the civilian population had boldly emerged from the protection of their homes to throw everything from homemade firebombs to rocks at any Root trying to move across the village. The streets of Konoha were embroiled in a full-scale civil uprising. She passed one dead Root agent with a hunting arrow through his chest. The civilians of the Leaf may not be soldiers, but they lived every day in a warrior society, and they were no cowards.

Sakura had worried – they had _all_ worried – that what they had wouldn't be enough. That they were outmatched in every way but desperate determination. But they were _winning_. In the end it was Danzou who didn't stand a chance.

A block away from the Jounin building Shiko stopped and growled, low and threatening. A moment later, Sakura was surrounded by a squad of Root agents. They had been on their way to the HQ, where even from here the sounds of combat and smell of smoke were clear. Maybe they had run across her by chance, or detected her first and decided to pick off an easy single target.

Well it wasn't going to be easy.

They came at her all at once and Sakura reacted on pure instinct, dropping to the ground and somersaulting away. Shiko acted just as fast and leapt on one agent from behind, teeth sinking into the back of his neck. The man stumbled forward and went down under the force of her attack, clawed behind him frantically, slashing at her with a kunai. But she had positioned herself almost atop his shoulders, and her fangs tore through muscle and sinew until she had severed his spine at the neck. His body spasmed a few times, and went still.

Sakura stared at her ninken, aware of the fact that she had just made her first human kill. Shiko was aware of it too, and stared intently at the corpse she had made. When she looked up at her master, for a moment she was like a different animal altogether. A pup no longer, her muzzle stained with blood, she was frightening to behold. Most frightening was the bloodlust in her usually soft brown eyes, the primal instinct of a hunter awakened. Sakura didn't let herself feel sad that her little ball of fluff had grown up and lost her innocence. _This is what ninken are_. This was her battle partner, from now until the day one of them died.

It all happened in a handful of seconds, and then everything sped back up to normal and Sakura was moving again to avoid the sword strike coming at her from above. She flipped onto her back and used her attacker's momentum to hurl him over her body and slam him to the ground. With the force of her chakra, that was all it took to end him. Now there were two, but Sakura could hear movement in the streets heading their way, and feared she was about to be seriously overwhelmed. She made a quick call that she hoped would help her chances: she ran.

The Root squad pursued. She raced down a back alley, leaping over a fence and cutting a sharp right turn. Shiko scaled the fence less easily, but wasn't slowed much and careened after her around the corner. They twisted and turned, hopped roofs and cut across main streets into the lanes between rows of houses dating from a time when the village was first built. The older parts of town were a complex maze of narrow backstreets and winding alleyways, and that was where she led her pursuers. She didn't think she could lose them, but the more isolated they became, the less likely they were to encounter others.

Sakura and Shiko ran into yet another alley, and this time encountered a concrete wall. She quickly considered options: grab Shiko and take to the roof, punch through the wall, make a stand. In the end the decision was made for her as the two Root appeared and unleashed a barrage of weapons as they sped down the alley. She flipped, dodged and deflected, sending most of the projectiles into the wall.

Close quarters meant they couldn't surround her. There were no civilians around, nor anyone else. This was as good a place to make a stand as any.

Sakura grabbed a nearby trash bin and hurled it at the oncoming agents with the force of a freight train. Unfortunately the accuracy of such a clunky object was terrible and they dodged. The metal can tore a hole through the brick wall of what appeared to be an antique shop. Then the Root agents stopped and didn't advance. They knew who she was and weren't about to get close to her again. Hell, they'd probably radioed for backup when they first found her, and she was in trouble no matter where she ran to. Her only chance was to kill them fast and get out of here.

She unclipped her kusarigama from her belt and let her chakra coat the blade, wheeled the elongated sickle above her head and sent it flying at one of her opponents. He deflected with his sword, and they entered a back and forth dance of who can disarm the other first. With a vicious snarl, Shiko rushed the other. He raised his sword against her, and she veered and dodged and harried with quick little jumps as she tried to work around the blade and sink her teeth into something soft and arterial.

Suddenly the other Root agent abandoned his fight with Sakura and went after the ninken from behind. Sakura rushed forward in alarm and let the chain of her weapon fly. It wrapped around the hilt of his sword as well as his wrist, and she yanked with all her might.

It wasn't fast enough. The blade struck, and Shiko let out a pained yelp that was like a cold knife through Sakura's heart.

"Shiko!" she cried, as the ninken tumbled across the ground and crashed into the alley wall in an awkward heap. For one agonizing moment she didn't move, and Sakura feared she was dead. Then she lifted her head and tried to stand, fell back down with a whimper.

Sakura's panicked jerk of the chain didn't just rip the sword from her enemy's grasp—it severed his arm. The sight of it sailing through the air attached to her weapon chain was one of the most grotesquely fascinating things she'd ever witnessed, but she was too angry about what just happened to give it much consideration. She pried the sword free from the clutching fingers and hurled it back at the flailing, screaming Root agent. It impaled through his chest, and he went still.

She rushed the last of them, all hesitation gone now that it was one on one. He put all of his effort into avoiding her blows, and they cat-and-moused around the narrow alley. Sakura noted a variation in the markings on his mask, and recalled something Sai told her once. This was the squad leader. She also noted that his dead partner was the one with the radio. This guy knew he wasn't going to get help, and if he didn't want to die he would try to get away. She was right; he seized an opportunity to crash through a window into a house backed up against the alley.

Sakura knew what he was doing, knew how the enclosed space would hinder her ability to fight. She followed him in anyway, caught him at the doorway before he could hide himself in the dark interior and ambush her later.

From there it became a nasty close-quarters fight, the odds far more even than they had been outside. They crashed down the hallway, cracking the walls on impact as they parried and struck at each other, the Root agent with his sword, Sakura with her kusarigama. She tried to get the chain around his blade, but he was good, much better than his comrades had been.

It didn't take long to realize that her opponent might just be a match for her. With her ability to use chakra handicapped, the outcome of this fight was in no way certain. It would come down to skill, and more than a little luck.

When he slammed her against the wall and pressed in with his blade, she got her chance, lifted her knees, and drove her feet into his stomach. He crashed into the opposite wall and she was on him instantly. She closed in with both hands on her weapon, one on the handle and the other against the back of the sickle. He barely managed to block her with his blade, and they were locked in a pushing struggle. But Sakura wasn't hindered from using her chakra strength on _him_, like this. She drove the blade home.

She hadn't used her full strength, but the way they'd been knocking each other around the past few minutes had done damage on its own, and what she did use was enough. The wall gave way and collapsed, which caused the roof to cave in. Sakura had only seconds to curl up and shield herself with a thin layer of chakra before she was buried under several hundred pounds of debris.

For what seemed an eternity there was nothing but the deafening cacophony of splitting timber, shattering tile, cracking and groaning plaster. Nearly as disorienting was the eerie silence that followed, disturbed only by her heavy breaths and racing heartbeat.

With agonizing caution, Sakura began to claw and shift her way out. She choked and coughed against the cloud of dust surrounding her. She wanted desperately to break free, but was afraid of bringing more of the house down. Everything ached. The chakra shield had kept her from being crushed, kept her alive, but it wasn't enough to keep her from a serious battering. She felt weak, dizzy.

Finally she was free of the rubble and able to stand fully. As she did a sharp pain shot through her, accompanied by a cold, nauseating sensation. She knew what was wrong before looking. She'd been stabbed through the stomach once before, and would never forget what it felt like. Sakura looked down at herself with a surreal sense of detachment and saw a jagged spike of splintered wood sticking out just beneath her ribcage. With a pained grimace she carefully hobbled down from the rubble pile, holding one hand to her side. She stumbled down the hallway and back into the room where she'd entered, and very cautiously slid down the wall.

It was bad, she knew. _Really_ bad. The splinter had lacerated her liver; she knew it even without a chakra probe. It wasn't very large, but part of it had broken off inside of her. Once she pulled it out, she would need to heal immediately or she would bleed to death very quickly.

Angry frustration flashed through her. She was supposed to be healing others, not herself. But that was one of the dangers of a combat medic; they often had to get involved in the fight. Sometimes the fight involved them whether they wanted it or not.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her hand around the splinter, closed her eyes, grit her teeth, and pulled. She bit back her scream into a strangled groan. She could breathe alright again, but the hot-and-cold sensation of blood gushing out of her wound was frightening. She lifted her shirt and looked down at the grisly gaping wound, then closed her eyes again and began to heal.

Sakura didn't know how much time passed, but when she finally climbed out of the window and back into the alley, wound closed and bandaged, the streets had grown much quieter. The battle seemed to be winding down, fixed to those few final areas.

Shiko had limped her way over to just below the window, but was unable to get inside. The ninken whined pitifully, a mixture of pain and worry. The trail of blood and scuffed dirt she'd left in her wake as she tried in vain to reach her master's side made Sakura's heart wrench. She took a seat right there and reached for the pup. Shiko crawled up into her lap, her upper body resting against Sakura's thigh while her injured hindquarter splayed out behind her.

Shiko immediately smelled the blood on her, had probably smelled it for a while. "You're hurt." Her head nudged against Sakura's forearm.

"I was," she confirmed tiredly. "But I'm okay now."

"I'm sorry," the pup said quietly.

"No." Sakura stroked the soft fur of her flank with her free hand. "You did well. You're a great partner." She received a gentle lick on the arm in reply. The blade had cleanly severed a tendon—messy and painful, but ultimately not serious with timely healing. And far easier to fix than what she'd just done on herself. She still felt like throwing up or passing out.

Unfortunately she couldn't do either. She'd come out here for a reason and she intended to see it done. She healed Shiko's leg, and then they both got to their feet and continued on their search for more wounded.

* * *

The fight had been all but over for several minutes now. Danzou seemed to be able to keep going out of pure spite.

His stolen Sharingan were all closed now, used up or destroyed or…something. Whatever they were about in connection to Danzou's power, it was gone. Yet he made one last attempt, using the last of his chakra reserves to fashion a sword made of pure wind-chakra. He came at Naruto again and again, with all the fury of a powermonger who was about to lose everything.

Naruto didn't use traditional weapons, other than kunai. Not that traditional weapons would be any defense against a sword made from air and chakra. Danzou's rage gave him a final burst of unexpected strength, but it was nothing Naruto couldn't handle with relative ease. His chakra was less than half depleted. The tyrant dictator had never really posed a threat to him in a one-on-one fight. It was almost unfair.

But then, there was no such thing as fair in their world. Danzou had certainly done his part to drive that lesson home three years ago.

"There's a reason you had to scheme your way into power, why the people would never willingly make you their leader," Naruto told him. "Because _all_ you see is the power; you don't see people at all. You think people are tools to be used however you see fit, in order to make the world the way you think it should be. You're always going on about how you want to save Konoha from itself. But you don't _really_ care about Konoha, or else you wouldn't be so out of touch with what the people who live here _actually_ want."

Danzou was visibly panting and wavering now, but still he didn't lower his sword. "I didn't realize you had become so well informed on what the people want, from hundreds of miles away in your fugitive hideout. Your naivety is truly astounding," he rasped. "'The people' don't know what's in their best interests. They never have, and never will. You can never make everyone happy."

Naruto shook his head. "That's not the point I'm making. You still can't understand, can you? Sure, you can control people with fear, but _true_ leadership is about respect. Not the people's respect for _you_, but _your_ respect for the people and their needs, their right to live decently and honestly."

He turned his palm outward, and a spinning ball of glowing wind chakra began to form. His father's jutsu. Jiraiya's jutsu. A technique passed not only to himself, but to Kakashi as well, and through Naruto's own teaching, to Konohamaru. The Rasengan was more than a powerhouse jutsu. It was a representation of Hidden Leaf itself, of the Will of Fire, the legacy of shared strength and responsibility that he and those who came before him intended to leave behind. It was fitting to end it with this.

Danzou readied himself for the next pass, the one that would finish it. "That sort of romantic drivel may impress the ignorant masses, who take their freedom for granted every day of their coddled lives. But I've seen enough to know better. Someday you will too."

In the next instant Naruto was right in front of him, casting a shadow over Danzou, glowing so brightly the old soldier couldn't tell if it came from _him_ or the sun rising over the bluff behind him. "I doubt it."

There was no fear in Danzou's eyes, only hate, as the Rasengan spiraled through his chest and killed him. His body flew backward over the edge of the bluff and plummeted to the ground below.

* * *

Even the most glorious victory in battle is always somewhat tainted by the melancholy aftermath. The wounded must be tended, blood and wreckage cleaned up, fires extinguished, bodies buried. After that would come the funerals, the rebuilding, the tying of loose ends and meting of justice.

Victory was not the end, but the beginning.

Sakura made her way toward the site of Danzou and Root's last stand: the roadway leading up to the top of the Hokage Monument. It seemed fitting that the final battle had taken place here, under the imposing effigies of the previous Hokages. There were white-masked corpses everywhere, but they were already being cleared away.

In the center of the road Danzou's broken remains lay untouched where he had fallen. No one would move him until Naruto said so.

Naruto himself was off to one side, unexpectedly quiet and subdued. This was his greatest triumph, yet the emotional cost of this day and the three hard years before it had left him in no mood to celebrate. Not yet.

Sakura spotted Kakashi's silver hair from a distance and quickened her steps. He turned, and started forward the moment he saw her. She didn't have the energy or the strength to run, or she would have launched herself into his arms. When they met he gathered her up and held her tightly. She was so relieved and happy she laughed aloud, and felt no pain as he lifted her and turned her in a slow circle. When he set her down they stood there leaning on each other, her arms around his waist and his around her shoulders, his cheek against her hair.

His senses weren't as sharp as Shiko's, but it didn't take long for him to smell the blood on her and recognize it as her own. He grasped her shoulders and pushed her back so he could look her over. His eyes widened at the sight of her blood-soaked shirt. "What happened?" he demanded worriedly, lifting her shirt and gingerly prodding at the bandages wrapped around her abdomen.

"I threw a guy through a wall and the house collapsed on us," she explained with a faint shrug. She tilted her chin in thought, and added, "That's actually the _second_ house I destroyed today."

Kakashi huffed softly, shook his head. "I don't know if that's stupid or amazing."

Sakura smiled up at him. "Maybe a bit of both?"

He lowered her shirt and met her gaze, then pulled her to him again, gentler this time. She felt the difference in this embrace and knew what he was thinking even before the heavy sigh escaped him. She squeezed him, showing him it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Anymore. "I'm okay now," she said against his chest.

"That's not the point," he muttered into her hair.

Sakura just smiled, and nodded against him in a silent '_I know_.'

As they moved around the village organizing the regroup, and after that the cleanup, Sakura saw various incarnations of her own moment with Kakashi everywhere she went. Couples and families and friends, searching for each other, embracing and crying tears of joy or grief or both, many reuniting after the battle, many more after years of separation. The atmosphere surrounding her was so emotional that at one point she was almost moved to tears.

This is what they had struggled three long, painful, uncertain years for. _Home_. In every sense of the word.

#

It took hours to gather everyone, to hear all the reports and piece together all the intel. Nara Shikaku presented Naruto with the insurgency's cache of documents detailing Danzou's totalitarian administration down to the last ugly minutiae. They also had lists of all those involved in the initial coup three years ago, along with others who continued to give their support in upholding the regime. Arrests were made, official charges were brought forth. Some had fled in the chaos, and orders were given to track them down. Tomorrow morning the trials would begin.

It would take time and a lot of work to sort out the mess. But they had made a good start.

At sunset, Naruto stood on the official terrace atop the Hokage Tower, looking out over the village and the mass of people gathered below. The same terrace where he had once watched Tsunade address the village for the first time as the new Godaime. The spot where every Hokage before had done the same. They were waiting for him to speak. To officially take in name the position he already held in practice.

For the moment he stood back a little, out of sight of the crowd as he prepared himself. Hinata was beside him. This was one of the only times he'd ever truly looked scared. Hinata's face showed nothing but smiles and support, but anyone could see how tightly he held her hand.

Finally Naruto took a deep breath and stepped forward. As he approached the railing the cheers that rose up were deafening. He smiled nervously, waited for them to quiet down. They didn't, and he eventually raised a hand to silence them. Then it was _too_ quiet. He heard his heart pounding in his ears, his mouth gone dry.

Kakashi and Shikaku stood beside him at the railing as representatives of the senior jounin, the group that traditionally elected the new Hokage. Kakashi stepped up to him, holding the familiar wide-brimmed hat in his hands. He placed the official regalia of the Hokage on Naruto's head, pride shining clearly in his smiling eyes. It was almost more than Naruto could take, especially when Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copy Ninja, a man he'd looked up to for years and had come to consider his good friend and closest advisor, dropped to one knee in a formal bow and said, "Hokage-sama."

Then everyone around him did the same. His teammates, his friends and comrades, thousands of people, shinobi and civilian alike, sank to their knees in allegiance.

It took everything he had to hold back the tears that threatened. He had dreamed of this moment since childhood, and now that it was here, it meant more to him than he ever imagined it would. He was overcome with an enormous swell of pride. Not because he was the strongest shinobi, or because everyone admired and wanted to follow him. But because _these_ were his people. He was deeply honored and humbled that such amazing community would look to him for leadership.

"Rise," he said, but his throat was so tight with emotion it came out as a raspy croak. He cleared his throat and repeated the command, louder. They rose to their feet and stood silently, gazing up at him, waiting. He hated sermonizing almost as much as paperwork, and as with all his speeches, his first official address as Hokage was short and to the point.

"Many of our comrades and loved ones have died in the struggle to win back our home," he began. "Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. And we will never forget the events of the past that led us to this day." He gazed out across the crowd, and smiled. "The Will of Fire is about living for those who have gone before us. We will honor our ancestors _and_ our friends by being the kind of nation we are meant to be!" Then he took a deep breath, and said the ceremonial words that five others before him had spoken in their time. "To hold the sacred office of Hokage is to dedicate oneself entirely to the wellbeing of Hidden Leaf. I vow to always do what is best and right for this village, and to be honorable and just in my actions. From this day forward, my life and my death will be for Konoha!"

Someone screamed out "_Rokudaime!_" Others echoed it. Soon, in complete disavowal of Danzou and his brief and bloody tenure as head of state, the entire village had taken up the cry:

"_Rokudaime! Rokudaime! Rokudaime!_"

The Sixth Hokage Uzumaki Naruto grinned and pumped his fist into the air, and the ovation from the citizens of Hidden Leaf grew louder than ever.

* * *

TBC


	26. And So We Begin Anew

Some of you thought the last chapter was the end. You think I'd leave it there without loads of KakaSaku goodness? XD

This story was published two years ago today! Thank you everyone for sticking with me. This is my personal favorite of all my fics, and I'm really grateful for all the support and encouragement. Enjoy the conclusion!

* * *

**Will of Fire**

Chapter Twenty-six: And So We Begin Anew

##

* * *

The night was balmy and clear. Music drifted through the air from somewhere not too distant, a lively drum-heavy tempo meant for dancing and losing yourself. Beginning tomorrow, and for several days afterward, the Konoha memorial grounds would be active and crowded as public and private services were held to honor those who had been lost.

But tonight, the cemetery was dark and peaceful as Sakura and Shizune knelt before the grave of their beloved mentor.

The Hokage of Konoha had their own monument within the memorial grounds: a monolithic curling flame carved from a single block of red granite: a symbol of their office, and a representation of the Will of Fire. Five headstones were evenly spaced before the towering statue. The two apprentices sat quietly together in front of the newest. Danzou had been responsible for Tsunade's death, but even he wasn't foolish enough to refuse her rightful place among the honored past leaders of Hidden Leaf. A place he himself would be denied.

They hadn't talked much since meeting here, for they already knew what the other was feeling and thinking. _I wish she was here. I miss her. She would be proud of us._ Those things didn't need to be said. They lit incense and each laid a handful of Tsunade's favorite flowers at her headstone, and pulled out a bottle of the finest sake on the market, which they had personally taken from Danzou's private reserve. They poured each other a drink, and then poured one for the woman who had taught them so much about life – including how to handle their liquor.

They sat quietly for a while, cried a little, remembered a lot, and shared a few more drinks before Shizune left to find her husband. There was a time to honor death, but also a time to celebrate life.

Sakura wandered to the other side of the grounds, heading toward the memorial stone for no specific reason other than it felt right to dwell here in the serene shadows a little while longer. The Konoha burial ground was unlike other cemeteries in other places. Instead of a wide stretch of open grass, it was abundant with trees that shaded the grave markers and cradled the remains of the departed between their roots. Foreigners might think it odd, but the people who lived here understood. They were the village hidden in the leaves, and it was among the forest that they were most at home.

In time she would visit Ino as well, but tonight she had no more capacity for sorrow. Being home again filled everyone with joy, but for many, it also brought back a lot of painful memories.

In no hurry, she strayed off the path and took her time padding silently beneath the softly sighing boughs of oaks and elms. She thought about the memorial stone itself and what it meant to the shinobi of the Leaf. Many new names would be carved there, and for the first time some of them would be her friends. But not the last.

Sakura was a shinobi; she wasn't naïve enough to think she would never see war again. Maybe Naruto and the Alliance would truly make a difference, but while things could change for the better and measures of peace could be achieved, some truths were inescapable. No matter how revolutionary they were, the very nature of their existence – the necessity for shinobi in the world – meant there would never truly be an end to conflict.

But even if war did come again, as long as Sakura had the people she loved beside her she could face anything.

They would all need to rely on each other for strength in the weeks and months ahead. The first steps were already being taken to restore order to Konoha. There would be trials, and justice would be administered. Old teams had to be reunited and reassigned. Hundreds of jobs had to be reinstated. Draconian laws established by Danzou had to be overturned, and old laws had to be put back into place. New laws would be written as well, for they now had a perfect opportunity to overhaul the old archaic system, to do away with the loopholes and corruptions that led to shameful secrets like Jinchuuriki and clan massacres and the existence of Root.

Sakura came within sight of the memorial stone, and once again spotted a familiar blot of white hair against the pale darkness. A smile curled her lips. She should have known he would be here. They were more alike in some ways than she had ever realized.

Vivid memories rushed back to her of another time she came upon him here, not on a still autumn night with the crickets chirruping around them, but in the freezing winter rain. That was the night he had let her into his apartment, and into his heart. That was the night she started to fall in love with him.

This time he knew she was there, and as she came up beside him he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. Such a small gesture, yet it held a world of meaning. Sakura gently squeezed his hand. He appeared to have been here a while, but he didn't have that hollow melancholy look she'd seen before. He seemed pensive. They stood without speaking for several moments.

"I was just having a talk with some old friends," he said finally, glancing down at her.

She gazed up at him. "And what are they saying?"

He looked at the stone again, sighing softly. It was a sound of coming to terms with something, and of letting go. "They would have liked you. And they would definitely say it's time to move on."

Sakura smiled and leaned her head against his arm, curled her free hand around his elbow. They stayed like that for a while, no need to speak, content to just _be_.

Eventually Kakashi turned to her. "What are you doing now?"

She shrugged indecisively. "I was thinking of finding a place to crash for the night. I went by my house earlier, but it's not exactly habitable at the moment. The inns are already full. People have been opening their homes to anyone who needs a place to stay, but I just don't feel very social." She shook her head, unable to fully identify what she was feeling. "I'm so happy, but at the same time…you know?"

Kakashi nodded. "I do."

Of course he did. "Anyway, I don't feel right about squatting in an empty house either, so I'm still trying to figure it out."

Kakashi didn't know whether to take it as a sign that she didn't ask about his apartment. Not that it was even possible. Though she hadn't asked, he offered the information anyway. "I went by my place earlier too, and saw a light on. I think someone else is living there."

Sakura looked chagrined, but not surprised. "Did you talk to your landlord?"

"It's too late tonight."

She nodded resignedly. It had happened to a lot of people. "Apparently my parents were paying the property taxes in my absence, so it couldn't be sold out from under them," she explained. "I guess I'm lucky I still have a place to go home to."

"What about the Hokage Tower for the night?" he suggested.

She dismissed it immediately. "It's crawling with the VIPs and everyone else, and even if I was left alone – which I wouldn't be – I doubt I'd get much rest. I'm kind of trying to find somewhere to…"

"Hide?"

She looked sheepish. "Yeah. Just for a few hours. Is that bad?"

"Not at all. I do it all the time." He smiled beatifically.

She gave him a playful swat. "No kidding."

He thought for a moment. "The auxiliary building, then?"

Sakura knew which one he meant: the small administrative adjunct next to the Hokage Tower where part of the archive was stored. The building was also used as a sort of boardinghouse for foreign visitors of lesser importance – messengers, trade merchants, minor officials. Not many people would think of it as they searched for a resting place tonight, and even fewer would think to look for her there. "That's a good idea."

When she turned to go Kakashi went with her. She expected him to, but even if she hadn't he would have followed. He didn't want to be away from her. "I should tell you," he said as they walked, "that Shiko is being pampered to a ridiculous degree by the entire pack."

Sakura laughed softly. "Is that so?" She'd sent Shiko home several hours ago to rest and recuperate. "I know it's her first war wound and all, but she's not even injured anymore. Just sore."

"Apparently it doesn't matter," he said wryly. "Any excuse to dote on her."

"She's opening up, learning to trust. It's a good thing."

"I never said it wasn't. But if my ninken turn into a bunch of sentimental pushovers I'm holding you responsible."

Sakura just smiled and bumped her shoulder against his. She wanted to keep holding his hand, but she knew gratuitous PDAs were never going to be a thing with them. She was discovering that in a way, it was almost better; they could store up all their affection to unleash when they were in private.

The streets were nearly as quiet as the memorial grounds, until they came near the Hokage Tower. As Sakura predicted, hundreds of people were swarming around and inside it, celebrating. For a moment she felt sorry for Naruto; the new Hokage wouldn't get a moment's rest tonight. Or tomorrow.

They put their stealth skills to good use getting around the reveling crowds unnoticed, and slipped into the auxiliary building. Neither of them had ever had reason to come in here before, but they made a guess and headed upstairs, and eventually found the boarding rooms. The doors were locked, but that was easily remedied. The quarters were tiny and spare, with only a single bed, nightstand, and writing desk for furnishing. Too tired to be picky, Sakura settled for the first one she found.

She took a couple steps inside, then paused and turned to Kakashi. "Do you want to stay with me?"

It might have seemed like an obvious question, but they both understood that despite the whirlwind of events and emotions that had carried them through the past twenty-four hours to this moment, things between them were not perfect. They stood on a threshold in more ways than one. For a moment he had hesitated, unsure of his place. Now she was offering that reassurance.

Kakashi smiled. "Can't think of anything I want more." He followed her inside, closed and locked the door. Then he gathered her into his arms.

She eased his mask down and they shared a slow, lingering kiss. For the first time in a while, they weren't reacting to a traumatic event or impending danger. It was a kiss of feeling, pure and simple, and it conveyed several things all at once. _I missed you. I'm glad you're here, glad we're together. I love you_. _I'm sorry._

Unfortunately they were both too exhausted to be stirred much by passion. Kakashi released her and stepped away to remove his gear. Sakura simply unzipped her outer shirt, spun and flopped on the bed in a single motion. She kicked her boots off while she watched him strip down to his pants and undershirt. They'd both had a chance to clean up after the battle, but she hadn't bothered to put back on all the extra tactical gear. She wondered why he had. Old habits, maybe?

She grew impatient, and playfully said, "Get over here."

He gave her an uneven smile that sent little flutters through her. Would he always be able to do that? She hoped so. He did as commanded and sank down onto the bed with her, climbing over her to take the space next to the wall because he knew she didn't like being boxed in. It was a tiny bed, only meant for one adult, and it was a tight fit for the both of them. It didn't matter though; they would have cuddled up the same way on a king-sized. Sakura lay against him, nestled comfortably in the curve of his arm, angled slightly so she could look at him if she wanted. His hand rested lightly against her hair, the other hand over hers on his chest. She felt the faint pulse of his heartbeat under her fingertips.

Finally relaxing after such a tumultuous day brought an almost physical sense of release. It seemed they might just fall asleep, but after several minutes Sakura broke the silence. "This feels almost surreal," she mused. "We're actually in Konoha right now. We're _home_." She sighed. "I'm so glad it's over."

"Mm," he agreed. "But the hard part's just beginning."

She glanced at him. "You think reconstruction will be harder than the war?"

"Not in the blood-and-pain sense, but it will. I've lived through it before."

She thought about everything they had been through, and everything still to come. Then she said, "That's another thing; we're so lucky, the five of us. So lucky we all made it through this together. The only one of us who didn't nearly die at least once in the past three years is Naruto."

"Hm," he murmured, considering. "Maybe curses can be broken."

"I told you, you're not cursed." She inched her way up to kiss his jaw. If there was ever a curse upon him it was of his own making. And for the first time since they'd acknowledged their feelings for each other, he seemed like he might finally be ready to break it.

"Why did we keep it a secret?" she asked after a moment.

Kakashi knew what she meant. "We didn't," he said frankly. "Everyone knew."

"Yes…but not through any admission of ours."

"You tell me," he said mildly. "You're the one who wouldn't even do your own sneaking at night."

That gave her pause. She'd never thought about it that way, but it was true. He had always come to her. "Well…" she said slowly, searching for a reason. "I was just being discreet. People like to gossip, especially in small communities."

"It's the same for me," he said simply. "I've never been inclined to advertise my personal life, and I don't intend to start, even now. But I wasn't trying to hide us." He looked down at her, and laced his fingers with hers on his chest. "I was afraid of hurting you. _Certain_ of hurting you. And I did… So I felt guilt, and regret, and a good deal of self-loathing…but never shame."

She was glad they were talking about this, but she didn't want to get too heavy. She couldn't handle any more heavy tonight. So she kept her tone playful as she said, "Even though us being together is potentially quite…scandalous?"

Three years ago they could never have happened. It was only their specific circumstances that allowed for it. He wasn't really her superior now, and for all the five of them talked about and considered themselves teammates, they hadn't truly worked as a single team in years. No one had a problem with Kakashi and Sakura together because they were at war, and in war solace is often found in unexpected places. Their peers in the rebel camp had gotten used to it, and most were quite supportive. But now that they were home, it would be brow-raising news to many.

He gave her a funny look. "Sakura. I read porn in public. Do you really think I care about the rumor mill?"

"I hope not, because I've heard all sorts of things over the years," she teased. "I've heard you've banged almost every woman in the village, _and_ that you're gay. I've heard you wear a mask because you're the hottest guy in Konoha, _and_ because you're the ugliest. I've also heard—"

He lightly pushed her head down to stop her. "I get it," he said dryly. Her giggle was muffled against his shoulder, and he glanced down at the top of her head with a raised eyebrow. "Banged?"

Sakura nodded. "Banged."

Kakashi had to laugh. They fell quiet again, and he stared up at the ceiling, slowly twirled a strand of pink hair around his finger. The major conflict in their relationship had always been his fear and reluctance to let her get close, but he knew he wasn't the only one who'd had doubts. Sakura had her own issues with intimacy that they'd never talked about. He had theories, but he didn't like to ask about personal things – an effect of not liking to be questioned himself. They implicitly trusted each other with their lives, yet neither had been able to let their deeper vulnerabilities show. "What about you?" he asked quietly, hesitantly. "You had reservations too…"

"I did," she admitted. "I was afraid my attraction to you was based on something other than real feelings, something…misplaced." She smiled ruefully. "Because I've done that before. And because the last time I…well, do I really need to say anything other than 'Sasuke'?" He made a sound of less-than-amused understanding. She was surprised he would want to talk about this. She'd never seen him more open than he was tonight. He deserved her openness too. "Most of the time I was blissfully happy, happier than I should have been, given what was going on around us…and the rest I felt like a fool for wanting more than I thought you could give." She reached up and gently touched his face. "You said you felt guilt and regret…did you ever feel good about us?"

His face was full of contrition; regret that he had ever made her doubt that. "Of course I did. I _do_." He kissed her forehead, and remained with his cheek against her hair as he said, "You make me happy, Sakura. I know that sounds trite…but I don't think I've been truly happy since before my father died."

Her eyes widened, surprised and sad. "You were just a child…" How truly awful his childhood had been. Moral issues regarding child soldiers aside, before he was even ten years old he'd endured his mother's illness and prolonged death, his family's disgrace, the scorn of the village, his father's suicide. She wondered if he started wearing the mask just so the world couldn't see his pain. She nuzzled against him reflexively.

"I was," he acknowledged quietly. "And in order to cope I grew up too fast and became the youngest workaholic ever. I detached myself so completely that I didn't even realize how much was missing, until you made me want it."

Sakura didn't respond for several moments. When she finally looked up at him her eyes were glistening. "You're going to make me cry."

He smiled tentatively, twined his fingers in her hair. "Happy tears, I hope?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes," and gave him a beaming smile to prove it.

"Good," he said, and leaned in to kiss her.

#

They were both too important to hide for long, and were woken far too early in the morning by a strange repetitive thumping against the door, half knock and half scratch. They had a pretty good idea what it was, and Sakura grumpily jerked the door open ready to step on the bothersome toad. Keeping in mind the thing about not killing the messenger, she told it they would be there shortly and shut the door before it could speak.

To say they had a busy day ahead would be a gross understatement. So much had happened already it seemed impossible that it had only been twenty-four hours since they'd retaken Konoha.

First was a long, multi-issued meeting with the Hokage, during which Naruto named Kakashi and Sakura both to be part of his new council, along with Shikamaru and his father. As members of ANBU, Sai and Tenzou were assigned as the Rokudaime's personal bodyguards. No one seemed to mind the strategic placement of his teammates and closest friends around himself. They had all proven they were more than capable in their new roles.

Team Kakashi was officially no more, but it didn't matter. The bonds the five of them had formed went beyond all titles and assignments. They would always have each other's backs, no matter what. They would always be a team.

When the meeting was over, their game plan for recovery fully fleshed out, Sakura headed to the hospital where several dozen patients still needed care. For Kakashi it was the trials at the Jounin HQ. With a discreet kiss and a promise to meet up when they had a chance, they left for their separate duties.

* * *

Naruto called a two-hour recess from the trials in order to attend to other equally important – but hopefully not equally head-straining – official Hokage business.

First he met with Nara Shikaku and the leadership of the insurgency. The members of the Konoha resistance were all to be given public commendation, once the trials were over. That one was easy.

The next, he expected wouldn't be quite so pleasant. When the selected representatives of the Hyuuga clan entered his office, he was a little surprised to see Hinata among them, but knew he shouldn't be. She was a Hyuuga too, and a very high-ranking one. _The_ highest ranking, if one considered noble status as well as blood – and the Hyuuga did. Neji and Hanabi were beside her. They were all technically disinherited, but with Hiashi and the old power structure gone, the leadership of the clan was uncertain. There were three branch house elders as well, standing in a neat and deferential row behind them.

As soon as the ANBU guards closed the doors, before Naruto could even speak or stand from his desk or do anything, all six of them sank to their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor in supplication. The ceremonial, highly formal act stunned him. He understood it was a symbolic display of contrition and fealty, but seeing people he considered friends – and more, in Hinata's case – prostrate themselves before him like servants made him uncomfortably aware of his new power. He would never get used to this bowing thing, but it would never fully stop no matter how informal a leader he tried to be. He realized then that while his closest friends would always be close, his more casual relationships were altered forever.

He came around the desk, awkward in the official robes they'd made him wear for the trials, and just stood there looking at them, uncertain what to do next.

"Hokage-sama," Neji said. "On behalf of all the Hyuuga, we humbly beg forgiveness for the collective actions and _in_actions of our clan, and for supporting, through collaboration and later through silence, the reign of the usurper, Danzou. We acknowledge our treason with great shame, and submit ourselves to your judgment. We gladly offer penance in whatever manner you deem fit, up to and including our deaths."

"Uh…" What he really wanted to say was 'whoa,' or 'holy crap,' but he knew that would be completely inappropriate. No one had explained to him how to do all this archaic formal stuff, especially about matters so serious. Deaths? The idea was so crazy he almost laughed. Penance? What was he supposed to make them do? Disband? Pay fines? Offer up their firstborn? The whole thing felt so weird and unnatural to him that he decided to do what he always did – go with what felt right.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to punish a hundred people who were put in a terrible position – torn between loyalty to your clan and loyalty to your village. A choice between obedience and death is no choice at all, especially when families and loved ones are at stake. That doesn't mean what the Hyuuga clan did is okay," he said sternly. "But the ones in charge at the time are being dealt with, and I'm sure I'll figure out some kind of 'penance' or whatever for the rest of you later. Right now I just want you to get off the floor. C'mon, get up."

They did, and Hinata met his eyes with a loving smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. We are truly grateful." It seemed they weren't finished with the formal stuff. "We would also like to take this opportunity to make an official announcement."

The Hyuuga were full of surprises today.

"Oh?" He looked between Hinata and Neji with genuine curiosity. "What?"

The cousins smiled at each other, and Hinata said, "Neji and I have decided to share leadership of the clan."

Naruto's eyes widened. Once or twice before when they were alone, Hinata had talked about her status as renounced heiress, about her ambivalence toward her birthright. She was torn between being relieved to lose the responsibility, and a sense of concern for the future of her family. "I thought you didn't want to, uh…" He trailed off, feeling guilty for calling her out in front of her clan, though they probably already knew.

Hinata just smiled. "Three years ago I was glad when the inheritance passed to Neji," she admitted. "I was relieved, because my whole life I feared I was too weak, in every way, to ever lead anyone. But now I understand that power isn't the only necessary quality in a leader—we all learned that lesson under Danzou. I know who I am now, and what I'm capable of. I'm not afraid anymore. Most of all I want the Hyuuga clan to thrive. I want to be a part of that."

Naruto looked at her and smiled. So confident, and radiant, and beautiful…he didn't think he'd ever loved her more than in this moment. He saw the strong, amazing woman she would be—was already becoming. The woman he wanted to spend forever with.

He almost forgot the others were there. And they knew it. Hanabi cleared her throat softly, snapping him back into the moment.

"That's awesome," he said almost sheepishly. "Does that mean you're going to lead the main house, and Neji the branch house, or whatever?"

"No," Neji answered, smiling proudly. "Hinata and I have a different vision for the future of the Hyuuga clan. We're going to unify the houses. The curse on the branch house will be undone, and no child will ever be marked with it again. From now on there will be _one_ Hyuuga clan. One family, all equal in status and dignity."

Naruto grinned broadly, and nodded his approval. "That's the best thing I've heard all day."

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura saw each other a couple times that day, but never had more than a few moments to talk, and mostly about business. That night, Sakura worked so late that she ended up sleeping at the hospital, on the couch in the Director's office; once Tsunade's, now shared between her and Shizune. They'd decided a long time ago that when it came to the medical management of the Konoha military, they worked better – and had less stress – as partners. This way they could go on missions if they wanted, have days off, even take vacations. Shizune was already planning a proper honeymoon.

The trials continued all the next day, and so did the rest of the 'clean up' work. Sakura was finishing her share of the medical and administrative work at the hospital around midday, when Sai knocked on the partly open door.

"Sakura?" He pushed it open and came in.

"Hey," she greeted cheerfully, glad to see him, and glad to have a distraction.

"Do you have some time?"

"Sure." He took a seat on the same couch she'd slept on, and she got up from her desk to join him. "Everything alright?"

He smiled. "Everything's great."

Sakura knew that smile, and slyly asked, "How's Hanabi?"

"I haven't seen her today; she's still dealing with clan business. But…" The look on his face was worth a hundred adjectives in describing what he thought about the girl he'd unexpectedly fallen for. "We had sex."

Sakura should have been taken aback by the blunt announcement. But this was Sai. She just laughed.

"It was the night before the battle," he explained unprompted. "She said she didn't want to die a virgin. That's a thing with people, isn't it? I didn't really know what the big deal was…" He smiled in a very telling way. "But now I get it."

Undoubtedly, just about everyone who could find a warm body had had sex the night before the battle. With a swell of feeling in her chest she recalled her own frantic grasp at life and love with Kakashi in those final hours. But just because Sai's story wasn't unique didn't mean it wasn't exceptional. The first time with someone you love is always special – the first time _ever_, even more so.

She gave him a heartfelt smile. "That's great. I'm really happy for you."

"You seem really happy, in general," Sai observed, studying her face. He drew what he hoped was the obvious conclusion. "Are you and Kakashi back together?"

Her smile softened, and she nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. You were making us crazy."

She frowned indignantly. "It's _our_ love life, not yours."

He shrugged. "Yes, but we have to live with both of you. Try not to break up again."

Sakura had to laugh. "I'll do my best."

"I didn't actually come here to talk about relationships," he said after a moment.

"I didn't figure you had," she said evenly. "That would be odd, even for you. What's up?"

"I have an idea, and I want your help." He paused, considering how to say what he was thinking. "Would you say I'm a…success story? In the way I recovered from being Root?"

She started in surprise. "Of course! From how you were when you first joined us, to now…it's amazing. I don't think any of us have ever said it, but we're really proud of you."

Sai gave a small, grateful smile. "Thanks. I've tried really hard."

She nodded. "We know."

"I made all that progress because I really wanted to," he explained. "Because I experienced how it could be different. Becoming part of Team Kakashi, I gained a frame of reference I would never have had otherwise. I wasn't able to talk about it before, but the seal…it blocked more than my mouth."

With Danzou's death, the seal on Sai's tongue had vanished. Of course with Danzou and Root gone, all the information he had was more or less useless in retrospect. The seal had worked exactly as it was intended to.

"How do you mean?" she asked, wildly curious. After five years of being teammates and growing close to him, there were still things about Sai they didn't know, still parts of him that were a mystery due to his inability to talk about his past. Now that things had changed, she was eager to learn whatever he was willing to share.

He angled himself to face her, his brow furrowed in thought. "This is hard to explain…" A long moment passed before he finally began. "My loyalty to Root was strong, I would even say intrinsic. In fact that's exactly what it was. But the connection with you guys must have been stronger. I must have wanted those bonds more, once I realized what they were. I turned against Root, and I fought against Danzou these past three years because of what I built with you guys, and because of what he was doing to people I care about. But the truth is, all this time, I haven't been able to completely…_detach_ from the ideals I know were programmed into me. Not until he was dead."

He breathed in and let it out slowly. Sakura could see he was worried his confession would offend or distance her. She laid her hand on his knee and smiled reassuringly. "It wasn't something you could control." She couldn't imagine how hard this whole ordeal had been for him psychologically.

Sai still frowned as he continued, as if it was a struggle to connect the pieces of his thinking together, or maybe just to express it out loud. "The hatred I developed for Danzou, finally _realizing_ everything he did to me…that came later. Once I was far away from his influence. And now that the seal is broken, all these emotions are surfacing and I don't just feel angry…I feel _sad_. I feel like something was stolen from me. I feel…violated. And that's what got me thinking; I can't be the only one."

Sakura looked at him thoughtfully. "You think the same thing could be happening with the others."

The subdivision of ANBU known as Root no longer existed, but a dozen or so agents still lived and were being held in prison cells until Naruto could figure out what to do with them. They were the ones who _didn't_ throw themselves on the figurative fire and fight for the dead tyrant who brainwashed them until they, too, were killed.

"There's something about those guys," he said, "something inside them that broke through their conditioning, some part of them that was strong enough to _question_. Maybe there's hope for them, like there was for me."

The ardent note in his voice and the look in his eyes told her he had made this his personal cause. Sakura supported him wholeheartedly. She believed he was likely right about those unfortunate men who, when all the fighting was done, were really no different than Sai had once been. Sai was a good person, a brave and loyal friend, and she loved him. He was human, and so were they. He couldn't be the only one worth saving.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you," she promised. "And I know Naruto will be on board too. How do you want to do this?"

He smiled happily. "Well, I'd like to meet with them first. I think the right place to start is just getting them to _talk_."

Sakura nodded eagerly. No one could explain the possibilities of rehabilitation better. No one understood exactly what they were going through like he did. Over the next half hour they laid plans for an initiative to stabilize, heal, and reintegrate those Root agents who wanted a chance at a normal life.

Afterward they went out and had lunch together, though not at Ichiraku; Naruto would be crushed if they went without him. That would be a team date once they all had a chance to get together.

#

After she and Sai parted ways, Sakura had an unexpected reunion when she ran into Touga and his long-lost uncle Jinbei. She was even more surprised to see Mochi and the wispy old cook from the Hub, and outright shocked to see the two little kids she and Shizune had helped out in Busan.

Apparently the kids, whose names were Jin and Mika, had followed Sakura and Shizune back to the Hub and lurked around the area, but the medics had left with Kakashi before they worked up the courage to come inside. They asked for jobs, and quickly received them. Children often make the best information gatherers, because they're considered harmless and largely ignored. Shortly after that the Hub was raided by Root and burned down. Mochi and the old cook had looked after the kids while Touga went to do what he could to get Jinbei back. They had been living in a small farming town a few miles outside Konoha, posing as an older couple and their orphaned grandkids. Touga contacted them when he and Sentoki came to warn the insurgents.

Sakura sat and talked to them for a while. Her reunion with Jinbei was warm and jovial. With Touga…they managed to just skirt around the edge of awkward. She no longer distrusted him, as he had proved himself in the end, but their history made things complicated.

It was a little bizarre having all the people from the Hub here in Konoha, but not unwelcome. In fact she felt an odd sense of fond nostalgia for her time in Busan. For half a year she and Shizune had almost been like part of a quirky little family. Watching them all interact, she realized they _were_ a family; and odd mashup of people from mysterious backgrounds who had forged something meaningful together. Little Jin and Mika would grow up happy, even loved.

They told her they were leaving first thing in the morning, heading back to Busan to rebuild the Hub. She probably wouldn't see them before then. If she ever needed anything, they said, she had only to ask. The Hub made a business of being neutral…but no one could blame them for leaning a little in Konoha's direction from now on.

Jinbei crushed her in a burly hug, and the kids teamed up in an effort to do the same. Touga shook her hand, then decided that wasn't good enough and kissed her on the cheek. She accepted it with a smile, and they parted as friends.

* * *

That afternoon, everyone gathered at the gates to say goodbye to their foreign allies and the monks of the Fire Temple as they prepared to return home.

Naruto profusely thanked Sentoki and the other monks for everything they had done to help the rebels, and asked them to convey his and Konoha's gratitude to the Abbot, Hozo Inei. He promised if there was ever anything they needed from the Leaf, anything at all, they had it.

Then he went to talk to the foreign emissaries. The two Kages stood together with the proxies from Mist and Cloud, and another obligatory round of thanks and congratulations was exchanged, followed by promises of continued friendship and alliance. They made plans to officially arrange another Kage Summit, during which the treaty between the five nations would be strengthened and re-signed in recognition of the new Hokage.

Killerbee and Naruto once again executed the elaborate handshake they'd come up with years ago during their bijuu training together, and finished off with a brotherly hug. Naruto was a little disappointed to see him go so soon, but knew they would meet again.

It was much more difficult to say goodbye to the first jinchuuriki he'd befriended, what seemed like a lifetime ago. It _was_ really, for both of them. When the others had gone Naruto turned to Gaara, and they shared a look of mutual understanding. They didn't see each other often enough, and because of their responsibilities they never would.

"I wish you could stay longer," Naruto said wistfully.

Gaara nodded. "So do I. But I have a feeling we will see lot more of each other from now on, for multiple reasons." Sand and Leaf had a rock-solid partnership, and would be doing a lot of trade and exchanges, both militarily and economically, in the near future. A hundred Sand nin would stay on for another month, to help bolster their defenses. They weren't expecting trouble, but the civil war that ended in a significant loss of Konoha's fighting strength with the annihilation of Root had left them temporarily weak and unstable. It didn't hurt to take extra precautions.

There was also the little matter of their star-crossed lovers. They both looked over at them now. Temari was staying for a while, under the official pretense of overseeing the remaining Sand contingent. Naruto didn't know if Gaara had given permission, or simply resigned himself to his sister's insistence.

"Yeah…" Naruto said, acknowledging their mutual dilemma. "What are we gonna do about that?"

"I wonder," Gaara answered. "Aside from being my sister, Temari is one of my main advisors. She is indispensable."

"So is Shikamaru to me."

"They want to get married."

Naruto nodded. "I know. But I'm not going to make it a problem for them just because it's inconvenient."

"Nor I," Gaara agreed. "As I said, she's my sister. I want her to be happy."

They stood there for a minute, silently trying to come up with a solution that worked for everyone.

Finally, Naruto said, "We could share them."

Gaara looked at him. "Like half the year in each place?"

"Maybe. Why not?" He grinned, liking his idea more every second.

The Kazekage nodded thoughtfully. "With constant communication between our villages, it could work. However, it is a very long way to travel. It would be a risk to their lives. And if they ever have children…"

"Crap, that's true," Naruto sighed. "I wish there was a way to make it less of a hassle."

Gaara went quiet, his brow dipped in thought. Naruto could tell he'd been struck by an idea, and waited impatiently.

"What if there was," Gaara said slowly, still thinking. "What if it were possible to establish a permanent long-distance jump gate between Suna and Konoha?"

Naruto beamed at him. "That would be badass! Do you think it can be done?"

Gaara smiled a little. Naruto's enthusiasm was infectious, even to a perpetually stoic person like the Kazekage. "I'll talk to my experts, and you talk to yours. We'll see what we can figure out."

To have a backdoor entrance into each other's villages was a sign of ultimate trust. A sign that Sand and Leaf hoped to be friends for a very long time, long after Naruto and Gaara were gone.

They said goodbye with a firm clasping of arms. Then Gaara went over to his siblings, and to Shikamaru, Sakura and Kakashi, who stood with them. Sakura and Kakashi said friendly goodbyes to the Kazekage and Kankurou, and then came over to join Naruto.

They exchanged glances that were full of meaning; a show of solidarity, a silent recognition of their history and the significance of what they were about to do. Naruto took a deep breath and let it out heavily. Then the original members of Team Seven went to face the parting that would be harder than all the others.

#

Sasuke was standing almost outside the gates, off by himself, as always. However, this time it was not so much antisocial, but that he was waiting for them. They needed to do this in private.

For a minute the four of them just stood there, not knowing how to begin. How did they do this? How did they condense nearly a decade of camaraderie, friendship, love, anger, resentment, betrayal, pain, and ultimately acceptance, into a few paltry sentences? How did they say goodbye to such a fundamental part of their lives?

Naruto spoke first, his voice low and strained. "Are you sure this is what you want?" When Sasuke came to him yesterday and told him of his decision, he didn't want to believe it. Part of him even seriously considered not _allowing_ it. It seemed stupid, anticlimactic after these past several months and the breakthroughs they had _finally_ made. But after a lifetime of chasing, Naruto had finally come to understand that Sasuke needed to figure things out in his own way.

Sasuke nodded, resolute. "I'm sure." This was the result of several weeks of consideration about his future, about the path he wanted to take and the person he wanted to try to be. "When I came to the Fire Temple, I had nothing left. Not even hatred," he explained carefully. "I needed forgiveness…and atonement. I found it from the people I needed it from most," his dark eyes moved to each of them in turn, "and I'm grateful.

"But recently I realized that I can't keep living moment to moment. What comes after the goal is reached…_that's_ what I've always struggled with. I attach myself to another goal right away, so I never have to just _sit_ and live with myself for a while." He paused, and an expression that was almost happy crossed his face. "It was at the Fire Temple that I finally found peace, and…I don't think I'm ready to move away from that yet. With the monks I have no past, only what I choose to be today. They've accepted me, and the Abbot has offered me a place in their order."

And that was what had Naruto so upset. Sasuke had decided this even before leaving the temple. He had known all along that he wouldn't stay.

There was nothing left to say, really. Nothing that could be said in such a short time. Nothing that would change things. Again they fell back to just standing there, at a loss. They might have stood there moping all day, if Kakashi hadn't come forward.

"Sasuke," he said. "I think you're doing the right thing." Sasuke looked his way and smiled faintly. So many years ago, he'd warned a messed up kid that hate leads down a dark road and running from problems only makes them worse. He was glad that kid was finally listening. They never got to have that talk, but in the end they didn't really need to. Their actions had said enough, few as they were. Kakashi hadn't been lying when he said they were alike in ways, and deep down they both knew that about the other. They would never be close, but there was no longer any reason for anger between them. They had begun to respect each other again.

All of this was conveyed, to each other and to everyone else, when they shook hands in friendship.

Sakura came forward then, reached for Sasuke's hands, took several breaths to control the tide of emotion swelling inside her. A year ago she wouldn't have believed she could still feel anything good about him, but they had finally said what they needed the other to know, and they had found closure. She wished him well. "Take care of yourself," she said softly. "Please be happy."

His smile grew for her, and he squeezed her hands gently. "And you."

And then it was Naruto's turn. It was taking a lot to remain stoic, and his voice was ragged with emotion. "Sasuke…" That single utterance held a lifetime of history and complexity.

Sasuke nodded, understanding, and feeling, every last nuance. "Maybe someday I'll come back," he said quietly. "But for now… it's too difficult."

"I know," Naruto said, and he truly did. He gave a smile that was only partly forced. "Well, if you _do_ decide to come back, send word first. Don't just wander blindly through the wilderness."

Sasuke huffed softly, an unwilling laugh. "Shut up," he grumbled. He shook his head, and might have even rolled his eyes a little. "Jackass."

Naruto laughed outright. Maybe a lot had changed, but some things would always be the same.

They clasped hands. But Naruto didn't let go, and after a moment he jerked Sasuke forward into a hug. The Uchiha's face shifted from surprised, to reluctant, to accepting. What they both expected to be a quick pat on the back evolved into a tight embrace. In that moment they couldn't pretend. When all the cards were on the table this is what they really were. What they had always been. Best friends. Brothers. And they were saying goodbye.

Sakura watched them with a watery smile, and then she couldn't take it anymore and rushed forward to join them. She threw an arm around each of their shoulders and lowered her head to theirs, and they each moved an arm to let her in.

They stayed like that for a good while, and if any or all of them were crying messes by the time they parted…they would never admit to knowing it.

* * *

When the fanfare of the departing VIPs was over, most people decided to make their way home. There was still a lot of work to be done, but they couldn't do it all in one or two days, or even a week. People needed to spend time with their families.

Thinking of families reminded Sakura that she needed to contact her parents, let them know she was okay. Not being able to have contact with them for three years been really hard, and she couldn't imagine what they must have gone through, not knowing if she was alive or dead, if she even survived Danzou's coup. Maybe she would take a trip to the coast to visit them soon. Maybe she would take Kakashi with her.

Even those without families needed to unwind in a familiar place, and she went with Kakashi when he finally decided to return to his apartment. Unfortunately it wasn't good news.

"I re-let the place," the landlady told him apologetically, "about six months after the whole nasty business with that Danzou and his takeover."

"I figured as much," Kakashi said dryly, "when my key didn't work."

The landlady shrugged helplessly. "What could I do? I was used to you going away for months at a time, but you always paid your rent in advance those times. After so much time passed I'd given you up for dead. You weren't my only tenant who disappeared these past couple years." She shook her head sadly.

She was thoroughly civilian and hadn't heard much about Naruto's rebellion, didn't know the man who'd rented apartment 408 for the past twenty years was Konoha's most elite shinobi, famous across the five nations. To this woman he was just a slightly eccentric loner who was frequently absent but (ironically) never late on the rent.

Kakashi sighed. There was no use arguing about something that was long done. "Can you at least tell me what happened to my stuff?"

The older woman brightened. "Oh! I put it in storage. Normally I throw out whatever junk people leave behind, but I kept yours because of the special circumstances. I know you ninja can have very…unconventional lives."

Relieved that at least something remained of his former abode, they followed her to the rear of the building and down into the basement where the laundry room was located. There were a few small storage spaces in the back, and she opened one for them. "It's been so long now, to be honest I kind of forgot about it. There you go." She smiled up at him. "I have to say, I'm glad you're alive after all. You always kept to yourself and didn't make a lot of noise. You know, I might be able to move you into a different unit."

Kakashi gave her a polite but unenthusiastic smile. "I'll think about it. Thank you." She left them. He pulled the chain hanging from the lightbulb above, and the tiny space was illuminated in a weak yellowish light.

Sakura blinked in surprise. There were only a few midsized boxes stacked against the back wall. She looked up at Kakashi. "Are these really all your worldly possessions?"

It seemed to be a revelation for him too. "I guess so."

"What about your furniture?"

"Came with the apartment."

Again Sakura stared at the meager collection, and felt suddenly sad. For most of his life it seemed he'd existed without really living. Like a ghost.

The first thing Kakashi did was hunt for his Icha Icha collection. Sakura rolled her eyes a little at his audible sigh of relief upon finding them all present and undamaged. She'd never understood why they were so important to him, as they weren't _that_ good, and would certainly never be worth much money. But when she thought about it she realized it must partly be sentimental. Jiraiya had been his sensei's sensei and Kakashi must have grown up around him, must have secretly idolized him in his younger years.

He rummaged through the other boxes, pulled a few things out, laid them in the Icha Icha box. They were mostly weapons; a ninjato, a brace of three-pronged kunai with white handles, a longknife that looked like it was made to conduct chakra. He added a couple more books, several scrolls, some dog toys, and a shoebox containing letters and a very small photo album (which Sakura vowed to peek at the second she got a chance). When he found the photo of Team Seven he carefully wiped the dust off the glass cover, and smiled. Sakura smiled to see him do it. Finally he reached toward the top box in the corner and retrieved Mr. Ukki, now pitifully brown and shriveled.

He set the plant and the photo on top of all the other stuff and then stood with the box in his arms. "Okay."

She looked at the box dubiously. "That's it?"

He looked down at the box's contents, and shrugged. "For now. I'll get the rest some other time."

Sakura smiled and nodded, hoping he couldn't see what she was thinking at that moment. He had almost nothing in the way of possessions, and even then, the only things that really mattered to him fit in a single box. Well, that was going to change if she had anything to say about it. They were going to create new memories together – ones worth keeping.

She reached out and gently caught a desiccated leaf of the dead plant between her fingers. "Poor Mr Ukki. We should take him to my place for a funeral."

It was Kakashi's turn to raise a brow. "A funeral…for a plant?"

"If he's not buried he can't be reincarnated," she explained.

He stared at her. "You're making this up."

She smiled slyly. "Maybe."

Kakashi just shook his head and went with it. "Ok then…"

Sakura didn't live too far from his apartment-no-more, and they had a pleasant walk. This time of year the sun wouldn't set for another couple hours, but unlike the past two nights, the streets were fairly quiet this evening. The celebrating wasn't exactly over, but the tone of it had changed. People wanted to bask in the little things like eating at one's own table, sleeping in one's own bed—the simple reality of being _home_.

Though for some, home was more comfortable than for others. It had been an understatement when Sakura said her house 'wasn't exactly habitable.' The gate was broken, and they had to break it further to get into the small front yard which had become an obstacle course of debris from the battle. It was on a fairly well-trafficked street, two doors down from the Yamanaka flower shop. A couple buildings further down the way had been badly damaged, and Sakura's own house had suffered a broken upstairs window and a demolished chimney. Bricks and broken glass were scattered everywhere. The fuselage littering her property would be a pain to clean up, but she was grateful the place was still standing.

Her mailbox was blocking her front door, wedged at an angle inside the frame. Something had hit it with enough force to uproot it and send it crashing into her house. She wondered if it had been a _someone_. On a silly impulse, Sakura checked her mail. Nothing—not that she'd expected three years' worth of mail to be waiting for her. Obviously it had all been confiscated and read through.

Kakashi shook his head, amused by her. She grinned at him and pried the mailbox free, chucked it aside. The door had been fixed from when Root broke it open (by the Yamanakas, maybe) but the lock was still the same. She used her key to open the door.

She'd half expected a horrendous smell and massive cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. It did smell pretty stale, and a thick layer of dust coated everything, but other than that the layout of her living room and kitchen looked exactly as she'd left it.

So much the same that it upset her. A few medical texts and notebooks were still open on the coffee table. Her green winter scarf still hung over the back of a kitchen chair. There were dishes from dinner in the sink. There was probably a towel still hanging over the curtain bar in the upstairs bathroom. Her bed would still be unmade.

An ordinary night at home, and she'd gone to bed expecting an ordinary day to follow. And then her world turned upside down when Ino rapped on her bedroom window.

Since coming back to Konoha, a lot of difficult memories had surfaced. But nothing so far had hit her quite _this_ hard, standing here looking around the abandoned ghost town of her house.

Kakashi set his box down and gently held her shoulders from behind. He seemed to understand what she was dealing with. "You okay?"

Sakura took a deep breath, nodded. "Yeah." She shrugged away the memories. "This is going to be fun," she said flatly, thinking about the amount cleaning that needed to be done. "First things first, though. Bring Mr. Ukki."

He picked up the plant and followed her down the hall to the back door, out into the garden. Sakura set her hands on her hips and looked around, her lips pursed wryly. Everything was dead; her mother's roses, the tomato and strawberry plants. Even the grass, which should have mostly taken care of itself, was patched with brown. "It's like the plant afterlife back here."

Kakashi made a little sound of amusement. "At least Mr. Ukki won't be lonely."

They dug a little hole and buried the withered plant in a shady corner near the fence. "Do you want to say a few words?" she asked him.

He just stared at her. "Uh…"

"Fine, I will." She took a moment to think of a proper eulogy for a houseplant. "Goodbye, Mr. Ukki," she began. "You started as a cheap birthday present to our sensei who we barely knew and who scared the hell out of us. But the fact that this lazy old man made the effort to keep you alive all those years served as proof that he cared about us. I hope you're reborn as some beautiful wildflowers."

Kakashi blinked, looked down at the little fresh grave mound, and then back to Sakura. He'd never made the connection before, but she had a point. "That was…strangely touching."

Sakura sidled up and slipped her arms around him. "That's because deep down you're just a big sap."

He smiled down at her. "Don't tell anyone."

"Your secret is safe with me." She stepped away after a moment and knelt to summon Shiko. "How are you feeling?" she asked the pup, rubbing her head and shoulders.

"Good," she answered cheerfully. The corners of her lips curved up in a doggy-smile. "The boys want to teach me ninken fighting techniques. We start tomorrow."

'The boys' meant Kakashi's ninken. Sakura smiled at her, then at him. "That's really great." She checked over her hindquarter, and was quickly satisfied. There would only be a minor scar. "I have a job for you, if you're up for it."

Shiko nodded. "What is it?"

"Hunting mice."

The ninken gave a quick bark of excitement, and ran off with her tail wagging to seek and destroy.

They went back inside, leaving the door open to let in the fresh air. Sakura started to clean, and Kakashi helped her. They opened all the windows, took out the trash, wiped down the surfaces and took the rug outside to be beaten later. She wouldn't be able to get the electricity turned back on until tomorrow, but there were emergency candles in the hall closet that would last through the night. Fortunately there was still running water.

The absence of electricity had created one problem she was not looking forward to dealing with. She put it off as long as she could, but eventually they found themselves standing warily in front of the refrigerator.

She clung to him lightly. "I'm scared."

He nodded, laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm right here. Whatever horrors come out of that thing, we'll smite them together."

It wasn't as bad as she'd feared, mostly due to the sad reality that there hadn't been much in there besides condiments, which were in sealed containers. Holding her breath, she shoveled the blackened, furry, bloated, and otherwise unidentifiable objects into a trash bag, and Kakashi took it outside.

After that they stopped for a few minutes to have a snack, which ended up being a can of peaches found in the cupboard. They ate out of the can with a shared fork.

Sakura gazed up at Kakashi, admiring. The newness of his face hadn't worn off; even after months she still found herself staring. Though it was less about novelty, really, and more that he was just plain gorgeous. She reached up to lightly run a finger over the scar on his chin. "How did you get this?" She'd wanted to know since the moment his face was first revealed to her. He licked peach juice from his lips before answering, and she barely restrained herself from kissing him senseless.

"My second ever ANBU mission, and first real swordfight," he explained. "I'd only had the Sharingan a few months. I saw it coming, but my reflexes didn't quite match the speed of my eyes yet. My ANBU mask was what saved me. I just barely managed to avoid having my face carved like a pumpkin."

She moved in closer. "I like it. It's sexy."

He smirked, a little lopsided half-smile, which made it about a hundred times sexier. He slipped an arm around her waist, his palm low against the small of her back. "I have lots of other scars too."

She gave him a sultry smile, rose on her toes and held his face in her hands, smoothed her thumb over the thin white line. "I know. But I like this one best."

Kakashi liked where this was going. "Why?"

"Hm, I wonder," she murmured as she kissed the scar where it began at the base of his chin, then higher just below his bottom lip, and then finally his mouth. His other arm came around her, and they might have forgotten about everything else in favor of _this_ if not for their audience.

Shiko was wandering around, sniffing here and there, and circled them a few times while they were pressed together. When they parted and Sakura went to throw the empty can in the trash, the ninken remained at Kakashi's side, looking up at him. He looked down at her, curious. She was shifting her weight back and forth, practically twitching with expectation. "What?" he asked her.

She hesitated a moment, wriggled a little more, and then matter-of-factly said, "There's an itch behind my ear."

Kakashi smiled, understanding, and reached down to scratch it for her, then ran his hand over her soft head. All must be forgiven if she wanted him to pet her. She wagged her tail once for him and then took off.

They returned to cleaning up, and Shiko continued to run around hunting for unwanted inhabitants. And then something happened; something random and not special at all. Sakura said something playfully witty, Kakashi laughed, and she continued doing what she was doing. Casual banter, same as they'd done a hundred times. But Kakashi stopped and went still, just stood in the kitchen and watched her move around the room.

It was like something just clicked into place. It was suddenly so easy.

How could it have gotten so difficult? Had he really thought he couldn't do this? This was how he wanted it to be. Even though they would fight and clash wills and she would push and he would resist, it would be worth it because _this_ was what it was all about in the end. These completely ordinary moments where you're just _happy_.

He could spend the rest of his days in moments like this with her.

When she went to pass by him, he intercepted her with his hands on her waist. Sakura looked up at him, and what she saw in his face made her stop and give him her full attention. He steered her gently toward the nearby kitchen counter, steadied his hold on her waist and lifted her up easily, set her on the countertop. He moved to stand between her legs. Sakura rested her hands on his shoulders and waited, knowing he had something important to say.

"I love you," he told her quietly. His eyes searched hers, and the slightest hint of a question crept into his voice. "You know that."

Sakura smiled happily. "Yes, but it's nice to finally hear you say it."

Kakashi started. "I said it before…"

"Those were extenuating circumstances," she returned smoothly. "You thought we were going to die."

"I would call it a moment of clarity. I didn't want to die without telling you what you mean to me." He rested his forehead against hers, closed his eyes. "I should have told you months ago. If I had…" He gave a faint sigh. "If I could change the way I handled things, I would."

She twined her fingers into his messy hair, held him close as he nuzzled her. "I was just as stupid as you were." He wrapped his arms around her, and she around him. For a long time they just stayed like that, holding each other in silent communion.

Then Kakashi pressed his lips to her temple and murmured, "It would be nice to hear you say it too…"

Sakura decided to play with him a little. "What makes you think I love you?"

She felt him smile against her skin. "I can't imagine any other reason you would have put up with me this past year?"

"I adore your dogs."

Kakashi chuckled. "It's easy to say that when you've never had to live with them. They tend to take up a lot of room around the house."

"I imagine they do, since you live in a shoebox."

"_Lived_," he corrected. "I'm homeless now, remember."

Sakura finally drew back and looked into his eyes. The playful, trusting, adoring way he was looking at her brought on a swell of love so powerful she felt she might burst."This place has plenty of room for your dogs," she said. "I even have a backyard. I think…I could probably squeeze you in as well."

Kakashi stared at her, surprised and wondering. "Is that really what you want?"

"Well I'm not going to let you be homeless," she answered lightly. But then she grew serious, affected by the gravity of what she was really offering. What she wanted more than anything.

"I love you." Her voice broke on the words, and as they passed her lips something unlocked deep within her, erasing the last shred of fear. "I love you," she repeated softly, "and I don't want to spend one more day apart." She waited for his reaction, and suddenly wondered if she'd gone too far. "Is that what you want? I mean…is it too much too soon? I don't want to rush—"

He silenced her with a quick kiss, and said, "I already figured out that distance doesn't change anything." He looked around the house, imagined the life they would have here. "I want this, with you, every day. I want breakfast at that table—which will be interesting because we're both terrible cooks," he smiled as she shrugged in agreement, "and I want to fight over the covers with you every night."

Her eyes widened indignantly. "It wouldn't happen if you weren't such a blanket hog!"

He scoffed. "Me? You're the one who tries to roll yourself in a cocoon."

She had no defense for that, so she redirected. "Well _you_ have icy cold feet!"

"Maybe because you won't share the blanket…"

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "I can already see this will be a _great_ domestic partnership."

Kakashi just grinned, and leaned in to kiss her. A minute later he said, looking around, "You know, this is the first time I've been in your house."

She frowned skeptically. "No way."

He nodded. "Way."

"You've been here before…"

"Not inside. Your parents still lived here."

She thought about it a moment, recalling the handful of times he'd come by over the years to collect her for training or missions, and realized he was right. "Yeah, that would have been weird. Imagine how weird it will be next time you see them." He suddenly looked a little anxious; any parents would raise an eyebrow at their daughter shacking up with her much older former teacher and longtime boss. She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; my parents are pretty cool for civilians. If anything they'll be happy I chose someone so accomplished and respected." She poked a teasing finger into his chest. "After the Hokage you're like the number two catch around here."

He gave her a flat look. "Is that what this is all about, then."

Sakura shrugged. "You caught me."

He sighed in an 'oh well' sort of way. "I suppose I don't mind," he declared. "You're not such a bad catch either."

At that, she laughed. "I have a bad temper, I can't cook, and I steal the blanket at night. What's not to love?"

He drew her in closer, bent his head and pressed a kiss just below her ear. "I love it all. Keeps things interesting."

She breathed a soft laugh and wound her arms around his shoulders. She tilted her head for him, closed her eyes. "So, would you like a tour?"

"Definitely," he murmured against the curve of her neck. "Let's start with your bedroom." His hands were already under her shirt, a rough palm sliding up the curves of her waist to cup her breast.

She turned her head, pressed her lips to his ear to whisper, "_Our_ bedroom."

"Mm. I like the sound of that."

"You would." Her fingers wound into his hair and tugged, brought him up for a heated kiss. He gripped her hips and slid her forward a little, settled his hips more firmly between her thighs. The counter was the perfect height for this, she noted hazily.

And that was when Shiko came trotting back in. The ninken stopped and stared at them with wide, dismayed eyes. Kakashi and Sakura stared back, guiltily amused. The pup shook her head roughly, "_Icky_," and disappeared on the spot.

Kakashi and Sakura laughed. He said, "I think she's starting to like me."

"Good," she said, "I plan to keep you around a while." He kissed her again, and very soon their passion became a consuming fire. She locked her legs around his hips and pressed herself to him. He unzipped her shirt and kissed a heated trail down her neck and chest. They weren't going to make it to the bedroom. "What happened to the tour?" she practically panted.

"Thought we were on it," he grunted distractedly.

"We're still in the kitchen."

Kakashi lifted his head and glanced around vaguely. "Yes, well. I want to explore each room _thoroughly._" He went right back to what he was doing.

He really was a dyed-in-the-wool pervert. But in the best way possible. "That could take a while…"

He looked at up at her with a wicked grin that absolutely melted her. "Count on it."

Sakura drew him into another kiss and lost herself in the moment, blissful in the knowledge that they would have all the time in the world.

* * *

The End


End file.
